Stara Collaborative

Shout out to the people across Kalamazoo who have spent the past few months knocking on doors, making calls, and folding mailers at kitchen tables.

Much of this work is unpaid and unglamorous.

Electoral organizing is one of the many ways people resist harm and build power in their communities.

We see that same commitment across the projects we work with, through direct service, advocacy, art and healing.

Today, though, the appreciation is for our people throwing down on getting our millage signs out in yards, getting their radical underdog candidate known and just getting people to their right voting location.

We really, really appreciate you.

Alt text: A hand holds a round, hand-drawn sticker that reads, “Big ups to the people getting Kalamazoo to the polls!” on a purple background.

Peace to our community,

We are offering scholarships for the month of August in honor of , which commemorates the sacrifices of political prisoners, freedom fighters, and the resistance in Black communities against racist colonial oppression.

We would like to invite the youth to submit a video sharing who they look up to as an activist, either past or present, and why. This will help encourage our youth to study and learn about our history of resistance and empower them to remember these figures when they are faced with the need for action in our present and future.

Here is more info on our website (link in comments). Please share!

We know our community cares. Let's show it by voting yes to a small millage that will have a big impact on our littlest ones.

Yes for Families means real support for child care in Kalamazoo County. About $50 a year from the average household goes toward lower costs for families, more spots for kids 0-3, and fair wages for the people caring for them.

Let's do this, Kalamazoo County!

🟢 Learn more at yesforfamilies.org
🟢 Come pick up a FREE yard sign at Stara Collaborative while supplies last!

Alt text: A smiling woman in glasses crouches beside a stack of “YES for FAMILIES” yard signs, pointing toward the colorful sign and giving a thumbs-up. Text overlay reads, “Show your street you care. Start a conversation on your block.”

This is about half of the resumes and cover letters being reviewed by human eyes (not AI) since we posted three jobs to support grassroots leaders in Kalamazoo.

(Allie has highlighted words on each one!)

We’re sharing this to say we are inspired by 150+ people ready to support grassroots leaders.

We’ll know more later, and please know we do not take the time people took to apply lightly, or the years of experience people have dedicated to serving our communities, no matter what organization they’ve been at.

Alt text: Allie reviews a stack of resumes at her desk, sunlit office with a green neon bird sculpture in the background.

We’re happy to sponsor and for the volunteer leadership of this event! 💚

BLACK PRIDE 2026 | Tickets are LIVE!

Join us at Kalamazoo's FIRST Black Pride festival! We'll be at Bates Alley on Saturday, August 29 with vendors, entertainers, and more celebrating q***r Black joy.

Tickets are $8, with proceeds benefitting OutFront Kalamazoo and the Institute of Public Scholarship. Just like at Kzoo Pride, nobody will be turned away for inability to pay! Get your tickets now at https://www.outfrontkzoo.org/blackpride

⭐ Why Black Pride?: https://www.outfrontkzoo.org/whyblackpride
⭐ Become a Sponsor: https://www.outfrontkzoo.org/blackpridesponsors
⭐ Vendor Registration: https://www.outfrontkzoo.org/blackpridevendors
⭐ Volunteer Sign-Up: https://www.outfrontkzoo.org/blackpridevolunteers

Some will say the world is more disconnected than ever.

As we see it at Stara: people are gathering to plan, organize, and build relationships all the time. 22 unique groups just this year.

Our ability to manage booking, reception and followup has been strained.

This coming week, July 6th-10th, we are closed to the public (but open to our projects and pre-existing events!). Thank you for being patient!

You might notice that as we look to hire a full-time, in-office Office & Admin Coordinator, we aren’t able to make every request work and appreciate your patience.

Know someone who finds purpose in keeping things running?
🟢 stara.org/careers/officeadmincoordinator

Alt text: Graphic with a dark purple to green gradient background. Text reads: "This year, 22 organizations have used our workspace for 512 total hours. That's more than TWICE what we logged in all of 2025!"

Not wanting to seem performative can quickly become a fear of being too visible, leading to saying nothing at all. Pretty soon, a month passes.

Meanwhile the ground keeps shifting under rights we thought were settled.

When the present feels heavy, we try to look back at the groups that celebrated and protected q***r communities:

▪️ 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀, 1955, two couples in San Francisco who wanted somewhere to dance without getting arrested.
▪️ 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗱𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹, 1973, building the legal infrastructure that q***r communities still rely on today.
▪️ 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, 1974, the oldest known Black le***an organization in the US, started as a small social group in New York and became a political and cultural home.
▪️ 𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗨𝗣, 1987, started as about 300 people in a community center with a lot of rage and no budget.
▪️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀, 1992, stood on a mimeographed flyer and a commitment to show up visibly.

Here are a few closer to home:

▪️ 𝗟𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 1979, a le***an activist and social collective in Southwest Michigan that organized dances, built community spaces, and published a monthly newsletter for le***ans for over two decades.
▪️ 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗦 (Community AIDS Resource and Education Services), 1985, started as a living room rotary phone line in Kalamazoo to crowdsource healthcare information. Now operates as Cares Sexual Wellness Services, the second largest HIV service provider in Michigan.
▪️ 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗼 (formerly Kalamazoo Gay and Le***an Resource Center), 1987, founded as a grassroots volunteer network and now the oldest active LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in Southwest Michigan. In 2022 they opened Legacy House, a transitional home for displaced LGBTQ+ young people ages 18-24.
▪️ 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀, est. late 20th century, a feminist and q***r bookstore that served as a physical hub and meeting ground for Kalamazoo's le***an and gay liberation movements.
▪️ 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗼, 2013, produces theatre with a direct connection to the q***r community and uses performance as a catalyst for social change in Kalamazoo.
▪️ 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 2009, an arts and culture space where young people can express themselves, home of the first Q***r Prom in Kalamazoo and affinity groups for q***r and trans youth of color.

Our movements have needed many ways to resist, from the large organizations with legal teams to the people who gathered with very little - local and national.

We're here with you. Happy Pride.

💚 Know a group we missed? We know there are so many. Add them in the comments. Thank you to the archivists, historians, OutFront Kalamazoo, WMUK 102.1 FM, Second Wave Media, and NowKalamazoo, for preserving this history.
𝘈𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥.

Good morning, Northside! ☀️

It’s going to be a hot one this week, so please make sure you and your family are staying safe, keeping cool, and drinking plenty of water. 💧

Don’t forget that the LaCrone Park splash pad is open and available for the community to enjoy!

For those who may need them, here is a list of local cooling centers:

📍 Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries
448 N. Burdick St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
🕘 Open: 9 AM – 4 PM
• No ID or residency requirements
• Guests may transition directly into dinner service

📍 Ministry with Community
500 N. Edwards St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
🕡 Open: 6:30 AM – 4 PM
• Adults and children (with a parent/guardian) are welcome
• No ID or residency requirements
• Pets are allowed if they are under control and non-aggressive

📍 Kalamazoo Public Library – Central Library
315 S. Rose St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Mon–Thu: 9 AM – 8 PM
Fri: 9 AM – 6 PM
Sat: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sun: Closed

📍 KPL – Washington Square Branch
1244 Portage St., Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Mon–Tue: 1 PM – 6 PM
Wed: 1 PM – 8 PM
Thu: 10 AM – 6 PM
Fri: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sat: 10 AM – 2 PM
Sun: Closed

📍 KPL – Eastwood Branch
1112 Gayle Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49048
Mon: 1 PM – 8 PM
Tue–Wed: 1 PM – 6 PM
Thu: 10 AM – 6 PM
Fri: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sat: 10 AM – 2 PM
Sun: Closed

📍 KPL – Alma Powell Branch
308 W. North St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Mon: 1 PM – 6 PM
Tue: 1 PM – 8 PM
Wed: 1 PM – 6 PM
Thu: 10 AM – 6 PM
Fri: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sat: 10 AM – 2 PM
Sun: Closed

Please check on your seniors, neighbors, and loved ones during this heat wave. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and take care of one another! ❤️💧☀️

This is Stephanie, who graduated from ELLAS, a program that grounds Latine leadership in cultural identity and has sent more than 75 leaders through four cohorts in Kalamazoo. This was at the fall retreat last October.

We created a role at Stara to hold relationships with the leaders of the projects we fiscally sponsor: a Project Portfolio Manager.

They help projects navigate Stara's supports, whether that is an accountability structure, a fundraising strategy, or time at a whiteboard. They pull in other staff as needed and stay as a consistent presence across the work.

Jennifer Douglas already holds this role.

We are hiring one more person to work alongside our 17 projects.

First review is July 13.
🟢 stara.org/careers/projectportfoliomanager

Alt text: Several women stand outdoors in a wooded area helping lift or support another woman during what appears to be a group ritual or ceremony. The scene is overcast and the group is focused and close together.

A climate coalition needs to gather even though the federal government revoked their funding. A healing group of formerly incarcerated folks needs a neutral space for newcomers outside the system. A fellow 501c3 needs a retreat from the day-to-day demands of its own building. A group rallying until 11pm needs somewhere to print so they stay connected to people beyond the march.

Providing a functioning space is about moving the work forward. We're looking for someone to help us do that well.

This is a full-time, in-office role. Know someone who takes care of people and finds purpose in keeping things running?

🟢 stara.org/careers/officeadmincoordinator

Alt text: Two people sit across from each other at a long white table in a community room.