our place your voices
Our place, your voices: Southside news from southside neighbors- and why that matters
by (krmc)
Submitted 05-22-2015 under OPINION
Having been raised on the southside of the city always made me feel far away and apart from Grand Rapids. As if downtown was Manhattan, and Division Ave was the Brooklyn Bridge passing over into the southside, my Brooklyn. A hotbed of vibrancy and...
Our place, your voices: Rediscovering Grand Rapids
by (kendravanderlip)
Submitted 05-22-2015 under OPINION
I am at a crossroads in my life. For the first time in my 30 plus years of being a Grand Rapids resident, I am looking at moving out of state to complete the next step of my education- 543 miles away in Memphis, Tennessee. As I pack up the home my...
Our place, your voices: Why I write for The Rapidian
by (Michael Tuffelmire)
Submitted 05-21-2015 under OPINION
On October 13, 2009, I officially became a citizen reporter. I submitted a video of the hip hop group Flying Without Wingz performing at Rock Out 2 Come Out, a large LGBTQIA event hosted by Speak Equal at Rosa Parks Circle. What I thought would...
Our place, your voices: Finding my life's work at The Rapidian
by (nickmanes)
Submitted 05-20-2015 under OPINION
For better or worse, my path to becoming a working journalist started with boredom. Recently laid off from a job I didn’t care for but somehow believed would be my career, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Upon hearing about the soon-to...
Our place, your voices: Beers, words and oxford commas
by (andreemi)
Submitted 05-17-2015 under OPINION
When I applied for an internship position at The Rapidian, I did it with the expectation that they might give me an interview, but that they probably would not hire me. The only “real world” writing experience I had at the time consisted...
Our place, your voices: A place to start the conversation
by (erictank)
Submitted 05-15-2015 under OPINION
I like Grand Rapids. Really, I do. I’ve been here about thirteen years and most of that time has been spent living between Heritage Hill, Eastown and East Hills. I like my neighborhood. No. I love my neighborhood. Both my wife and I have been...
Our place, your voices: Our democratic need for citizen journalists
by (tclinton)
Submitted 05-12-2015 under OPINION
Since I took over as the Executive Director of the Community Media Center (CMC) a year ago, I have been confronted time and time again by highly reported international and national news stories that involve challenges to freedom of speech and access...