Housing Discrimination Rises Locally, FHC Fights Back

The Grand Rapids Times
4-18-2008

Grand Rapids – April is Fair Housing Month, intended for celebrating equal access to housing opportunity in West Michigan and across the nation.

The fair housing movement escalated in the 1960's with marches and demonstrations in the streets, overt denials and blatant signs of discrimination in housing.

As times have changed, so have the movement and its advocates, integrating fair housing principles in every community conversation.

In celebration of these gains and the 40th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, keynote speakers for the local 21st Annual Fair Housing Luncheon Workshop Series will highlight the progress of the movement over the last 40 years as well as the challenges ahead.

The luncheon will be held Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 5700- 28th Street SE in Grand Rapids.

As attention is drawn to the progress made, not to be ignored is the increasing rate of complaints from protected groups under the fair housing law about their being discriminated against when it comes to housing in Grand Rapids and the surrounding area.

[read more in the print edition of the Grand Rapids Times or click here to log in if you have a subscription or want to buy a subscription]

GRPS Going To Trimesters

The Grand Rapids Times
4-18-2008

Grand Rapids – After nearly three years of research, site visits, and planning, the Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) is set to make the scheduling switch to trimesters at the high school level beginning in the 2008-2009 School Year.

The new trimester schedule is also being touted as another major high school reforms designed to improve academic achievement.

“The trimester schedule is designed to help meet the new graduation requirements and expand opportunities for academic success,” said Superintendent Dr. Bernard Taylor, Jr.

GRPS started exploring the alternative schedule in 2005, shortly before the state’s new graduation requirements (Michigan Merit Curriculum) became law.

Nearly 25% of all Michigan schools are expected to be on trimester schedules by fall 2008.

In this model students can earn more credits, will more opportunities for electives and Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment.

They also will have fewer classes per day with classes lasting approximately 70 minutes each with 12-week marking periods.

District officials have scheduled a series of informational meetings at each of the comprehensive high schools so parents, students, and the community can learn more about the new trimester model.

The meetings start at 6:00 p.m. and will be held April 24th at Union High School, and April 29th at Creston High School.

Mel Dalton Passes

   Grand Rapids – Merritt Alfred Dalton blew his first note on June 28, 1931 and whispered his last one on April 12, 2008. 
   Known in the music world as “Mel” and “The Silver Fox”, Mel was an extraordinary musician celebrated for his ability on the saxophone, but capable of playing any woodwind instrument. 
   He was born in Pittsburgh, PA to James and Julia Dalton.
   His career started in junior high school when he formed a band with Stanley Turrentine, Dakota Staten and Ahmad Jamal. 
   Mel performed internationally as well as at the Apollo Theater in New York City and on the Ed Sullivan Show, often with well-known jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Lloyd Price, Art Blakey and Sil Austin.
   He has opened for various musical greats in the local venue of DeVos Performance Hall.
   Mel served his military duty during the Korean Conflict, and after being honorably discharged from the US Army, married his sweetheart, Jeanne Audrey Monroe.
   Mel moved from New York to Grand Rapids, MI to accept an offer to play with the Doug Cook Band at the Blue Note nightclub in 1959. With two daughters and a third on the way, Mel decided it would be a good gig for raising a family.
   Along with that, he worked for Guardsmen Chemical until his retirement in 1985.
   He continued playing until illness overcame him this past December.
   He was preceded in death by his parents. Mel leaves his wife, Jeanne and their daughters, Frances June Dalton, Barbara Dalton-Skanes, and Martine Julia Dalton.
   Also mourning Mel’s passing are his two brothers, James (Glonda) Dalton and Cabel Poindexter; one sister, Martine Rita Dalton; three grandchildren, Brianna Dalton Rodriguez, Bailey Jeanne Dalton and Brandi Jeanne Skanes; one great grandchild, Julian Dalton Aponte-Rodriguez; special friend, Doug Cook; and a host of nieces, nephews and loving friends.

Photo Credit: Special to The Grand Rapids Times, courtesy of N. Webley II.

Reverend Dr. Maurice Jones:

Christian Servant
Shifting Into Retirement

[Click Here to download Page 9 from the Grand Rapids Times Print Edition as a PDF]

RDV Corp Hires Chana' Edmond-Verley

Grand Rapids - Chana' Edmond-Verley is moving to a new position at the RDV Corporation to serve as Senior Program Officer of Community Initiatives for the DeVos Family Foundation.

She will start her new position in May after nearly eleven years as Executive Director of Jubilee Jobs, a non-profit ministry working to empower urban residents towards economic self-sufficiency, emotional healing and spiritual renewal.

Among her responsibilities at the newly created position at the foundation, Ms. Edmond-Verley will begin to look at how the community broadly supports the work of preparing young people for college or a job.

She will also continue in a role that she has held part-time at RDV Corp as a consultant / instructor of Systems Thinking and Personal & Ministry Assessment for the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative (DEVULI).

DEVULI is a national ministry leadership training initiative now in 26 cities in the US.

Ms. Edmond-Verley, also an ordained minister and Associate Minister at Brown-Hutcherson Ministries views her work and her new appointment as a part of her life's mission.

"I am committed to serving Christ by working to see God's Kingdom come in the changed lives of others," she says.

She adds that she is "on assignment to help people discover the manifested greatness of the God-head in themselves as His image-bearers."

Her work history and her community service reflect her passion for this calling.

Under her leadership, Jubilee Jobs has gained recognition as one of the leading providers of workforce development services in the area with niche markets serving core-city residents, women, disengaged urban youth and ex-offenders; led organizational emergence achieving 30% growth per year in bare market.

In the community she has served as a design team member and co-developer of the Institutions of Trust (IOT) model used for the Healthy Marriage / Healthy Relationships Program in Grand Rapids.  The Program was part of a federal demonstration to reduce barriers to engagement of low-income residents.

She also co-developed a facilitator training model for Delta Strategies, a community change initiative equipping facilitators for community impact work resulting in tax coalition, reentry center, employer practices; facilitated systems thinking and adult engagement.

She is also Principal, Project Management Consultant, Facilitator for Reflections Unlimited.

Her former positions include faculty member at Davenport College (now University) in Computer Information Systems (CIS); Chief of Capacity Planning, New York Housing Authority; and Systems Engineer, IBM Corporation, Atlanta, GA and Grand Rapids, MI.

She is the co-author of several publications.

A mother of two young men, Matthew and Christian, Ms. Edmond-Verley, like her sons, is a graduate of Ottawa Hills High School.

She holds a BA in Economics from Spelman College, a MS in Information Systems Management from Grand Valley State University and is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon's University, School of Public Administration Quantitative Skills Institute.

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