Annual Local History Roundtable

Recordings from the 16th Annual Local History Roundtable (March 19th, 2025) are now available on our YouTube channel.

Our keynote speaker, Dr. Anna-Lisa Cox, discussed the history of early African American settlers in West Michigan. She highlighted the multiracial history of West Michigan and placed it in the context of the upcoming 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States. Michigan’s committee for the semiquincentennial has designated “Unfinished Revolutions” as one of its guiding themes, and Dr. Cox demonstrated how West Michigan’s diverse past has embodied this ongoing struggle for freedom, recognition, and rights.

  • Reflections on the AIDS Journey in West Michigan: This panel focused on the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in West Michigan. From the beginning of the disease those affected struggled to find medical care and treatments. This was greatly worsened by the social stigma surrounding AIDS as well as discrimination against the LGBTQ community. This panel brought together West Michigan public health workers and LGBTQ community members from 1980s-early 2000s to discuss their experiences. The panelists were Jan Koopman, Michelle Johnson, Aaminah Shakur, Tommy Allen, and Gary Van Harn. The panel was moderated by Harold Clarke-Lopez.

  • Podcasts and Community Storytelling: This panel featured Dr. Leanne Kang's work uncovering a compelling portrait of Grand Rapids Public Schools' history through podcast interviews. This multigenerational panel discussed the legacy, present, and future of GRPS as an urban school district, and included current and former GRPS students. The panelists were Jermar Sterling, Dr. Raul Ysasi, Betsaida Valdivia, Carmen Acevedo Hernandez, and Mike Siguenza. The panel was moderated by Dr. Kang.

Reflections on the AIDS Journey in West Michigan: Public Health and Community Care

This panel is titled "Reflections on the AIDS Journey in West Michigan: Pubic Health and Community Care" and features:

  • Tommy Allen - Award winning journalist and current publisher of Rapids Growth Media.
  • Michelle Johnson-Houghton - Former HIV educator for the Kent County Health Department.
  • Jan Koopman - Former Executive Director of the Grand Rapids AIDS Resource Center.
  • Harold Clarke-Lopez - The panel moderator and lifelong LGBTQ+ community advocate. 
  • Aaminah Shakur - Accessibility and Healthcare Coordinator for the Health Equity Program at the Grand Rapids Pride Center.
  • Gary Van Harn - Co-founder of the Milton E. Ford LGBTQ Resource Center alongside his former partner, Milton Ford.

16th RT Keynote - Dr. Anna-Lisa Cox

Our keynote presentation is titled "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Cultivating the Ideals of the American Revolution on the West Michigan Frontier," and is presented by Dr. Anna-Lisa Cox, a Non-Resident Fellow at Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.

Podcasts and Community Storytelling: Uncovering GRPS' History Together

This session is titled "Podcasts and Community Storytelling: Uncovering GRPS' History Together" and features:

  • Carmen Acevedo Hernandez - Student at City Middle High School and member of the Student Association for Leadership and Transformation.
  • Dr. Leanne Kang - Associate Professor of Educational Foundations at GVSU and the panel moderator. She has led the Podcasts and Community Storytelling project since spring 2024.
  • Mike Siguenza - Student at Wyoming Public Schools and member of the Student Association for Leadership and Transformation.
  • Jermar Sterling - Former Grand Rapids Public Schools student, former Community Youth Director for Community Kids, and Site Supervisor for Cure Violence Global Grand Rapids.
  • Betsaida Valdivia - Youth organizer for the Urban Core Collective and community advocate.
  • Dr. Raul Ysasi - Senior Affiliate Faculty member of Teaching and Learning at GVSU and former Grand Rapids Public Schools teacher.

Past Roundtables

  • 2024 (Changing Lands): The 15th Annual Local History Roundtable brought together historians, gardeners, chefs, and other community activists to discuss how humans and honeybee-driven agriculture have changed the very soil of West Michigan. Other presentations discussed the impact of settler colonialism on Native traditions and cultural practices, the relationship between cultural heritage and traditional food systems, the interactions between migrant laborers and the Western Michigan community, the cultural significance of West Michigan's environmental history, and Grand Rapids' first Earth Day Celebration. Presenters included Jennifer Bonnell, Andrea Riley-Mukavetz, Kaya DeerInWater, Camren Stott, Jennifer Tompkins, Andrew Schlewitz, Jacey Adams, Eric Gollannek, and Jeff Smith.
  • 2023 (Our West Michigan Histories): The 14th Annual Local History Roundtable discussed migration and political activism among Grand Rapids' Latino communities. Other presentations discussed the history of County Poor Farm properties in West Michigan, as well as ongoing projects from Grand Stand Pictures and the Michigan State Historic Presentation Office to document Civil Rights history in Grand Rapids and Muskegon. Presenters included Charlie Brock, Nancy Brock, Rodney Brown, Rev. Melvin Burns, Dr. Delia Fernandez-Jones, Kathrine Kolokithas, Adam Oster, and Marjorie Viveen.
  • 2022 (Living with History): The 2022 Annual Local History Roundtable explored how the present informs how we talk about the past, and how we can bring history out beyond the walls of our institutions. Presenters included Afua Ofori-Darko, Kate Crosby, Rebecca Hopp, Kimberly Van Driel, and Matthew Vriesman. Recordings of the keynote presentation and panel discussion are available on our YouTube channel.
  • 2021 (Leading the Charge for Change): The 12th Annual Local History Roundtable took place entirely online out of concerns for the health and safety of our community. Presenters included Katelyn Bosch VerMerris, Liette Gidlow, Allison Lange, Sophia Brewer, David McCord, Brenda Nemetz, and Kristen Wildes. Recordings of all 2021 sessions are available on our YouTube channel.
  • 2020 (Women as Changemakers): The 11th Annual Local History Roundtable, scheduled for March 2020, was cancelled due to COVID-19. The 12th Annual Local History Roundtable will have a similar theme and feature some of the presentations that had to be cancelled in 2020.
  • 2019 (Connections Along the Grand River): Held at GVSU's L. William Seidman Center; featured speakers included: Jan Brashler (GVSU) and the following local history organizations and historians - Ada Historical Society, Allendale Historical Society, Boston/Saranac Historical Society, Cascade Historical Society, Grand Rapids City Archives, Eastmanville History, Grand Rapids Historical Society, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids Public Library, Grandville Historical Commission, Ionia County Historical Society, Jenison Historical Association, Lamont History, LGROW, Lowell Area Historical Museum, Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, Plainfield Historical, Portland Area Historical Society, Tri-Cities Historical Museum, Wallace and Jane Ewing, and Paul Trap
  • 2018 (Returning to our Roots: Explorations of Western Michigan's Diverse Communities): Held at GVSU's Kirkhof Center; featured speakers included: Ronald J. Stephens of Purdue University, Kathryn Remlinger (GVSU), and Andrea Riley-Mukavetz (GVSU)
  • 2017 (Reconstructing Home): Held at GVSU's Mary Idema Pew Library and Information Commons; featured speakers included Professor Bich (Beth) Minh Nguyen (author of Stealing Buddha's Dinner), Julie Tabberer, Head of the Local History Department and Special Collections at Grand Rapids Public Library, and Nathan Nietering of Saugatuck-Douglas History Center. 
  • 2016 (Changing Communities): Held at GVSU's Mary Idema Pew Library and Information Commons; featured speakers included Todd Robinson (author of City Within a City), Tim Gleisner (now of Herrick District Library), and Delia Fernandez (Michigan State University)
  • 2015 (Food, Farm, and Table): Held at the Grand Rapids Public Library, featured speakers included Hank Meijer (Meijer, Inc.) and Ellen Messer (Tufts University).
  • 2014 (Immigration and Civil Rights): Held at the Holland Museum, featured speakers included Bing Goei (State of Michigan) and Nora Salas (GVSU)
  • 2013 (Natives, Settlers, and Founders: Our Shared Community History): Held at the Grand Haven Community Center, featured speakers included Eric Hemenway (LTBB), Wallace Ewing, and Marjie Viveen
  • 2012 (Transportation and Waterways): Held at the Annis Water Institute in Muskegon, featured speakers included Kevin Finney (Jijak Foundation), Carl Bajema (GVSU), Daniel Yakes (MCC), Christine Byron (GRPL), and Tom Wilson
  • 2011 (Meaning of the 150th Civil War Commemoration): Held on GVSU's Allendale campus
  • 2010 (General meeting): Held on GVSU's Allendale campus 

Page last modified July 1, 2025
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