text: Literary Life will have a display of books for sale in honor of Stand Against Racism along with Stand Against Racism bookmarks and buttons.
  Grand Rapids Community Foundation will host a book discussion for their staff on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
  West Michigan Strategic Alliance will be showing the movie Traces of the Trade- A Story from the Deep North, a documentary where executive director Katrina Brown shares her discovery of her slave-trading ancestors. The West Michigan Strategic Alliance will host a private viewing but also offer the movie to be shown throughout the area.
  On April 29, 2011, organizations in Grand Rapids will join communities across the country in taking a Stand Against Racism.
  Stand Against Racism is a nationwide event coordinated by the YWCA that encourages communities to help raise awareness that racism still exists today. Stand Against Racism began as a program of the Trenton and Princeton YWCA's when they realized the simplicity of their idea could be used as a turn-key program to raise awareness all over the United States. They created all materials and toolkits and now YWCA's pay a fee to be the host for their community, allowing participating organizations access to all of the materials (logos, press releases, pledge sheets, bookmarks, stickers, buttons) free of charge.
  2010 was the inaugural year for Stand Against Racism in Grand Rapids. Partnered with the City of Grand Rapids and the Chamber of Commerce, the YWCA West Central Michigan organized their own Stand Against Racism while providing support for 24 local groups and organizations who hosted the event. Participating sites across the country hold a Stand, planning anything from a public march to a simple moment of silence at work. Last year, the YWCA hosted a public Stand that included skits performed by Act on Racism, a student group at Grand Valley State University. With the theme “Racism Hurts Everyone”, the YWCA asked attendees “How has racism hurt you?” and displayed answers in a clothesline project.