Meet one of our bestselling Chapbook Press authors and discover your next historical read!

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About the Book:

The word radical has numerous meanings, but one of the most important is, to get to the root of something. With the title, Radical Grand Rapids, I want to get to the root of things, both in terms of highlighting major aspects of the history of this city - Settler Colonialism, Racial Capitalism and White Supremacy - plus I want to share stories of when organized people took action to address systems of power and oppression. This is what I mean by getting to the root of something, getting to the root of oppression. The book is divided into four sections: places, dates, actions and people. With these four sections, I want to briefly illuminate how organized people have fought back against oppression and organized money.

About the Author:

Jeff Smith has been part of social movement work for more than 4 decades in Grand Rapids. He co-founded the Koinonia House, which practiced radical hospitality for the unhoused and was a sanctuary for Central American refugees fleeing US-sponsored terrorism in the 1980s. Jeff spent a significant amount of time doing accompaniment work in Central America and Mexico, working with and learning from movement organizers in those countries. Jeff started the Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy in 1998, which has been a media watchdog and an Indymedia site. Jeff also started The Grand Rapids People’s History Project in 2010. Jeff lives with his partner Colette and their 3 rescue dogs in the NE part of Grand Rapids. Radical Grand Rapids is Jeff’s 4th book.