The 2020 Thanksgiving Offering is designated for support of the “I AM Academy”, a new racial justice initiative in our community that has recently received the endorsement of the Holland/Zeeland Community with a grant for seed money. The I AM Academy is the vision of Henry & Lindsay Cherry, an African-American couple who are leaders in the Black community in Holland. Henry Cherry is Director of Local Engagement at Christ Memorial Church and Lindsey is a 7th grade teacher for West Ottawa, and they describe the I AM Academy in this way:
I AM Academy is an organization that will help to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline systems within educational institutions through mentorships with students and community partnerships. Partnering with area schools, I AM Academy empowers African American adolescents and young adults to achieve their full potential by centering their identity, cultivating relationships, supporting educational success, providing college experiences, and facilitating job readiness; ultimately changing the narrative and trajectory of their community.
The Cherrys are developing this initiative in cooperation with local schools, as the I AM Academy connects directly to racial justice work needed to empower and support black youth. In their description, the Cherrys use the term “school to prison pipeline” to refer to the broadly documented systemic reality in the U.S. that young people of color are incarcerated at a steeply higher rate than white youth, and that this incarceration rate is tied directly to the inadequacies of the education system for students of color. They intentionally use this strong statement to face us with the reality that local systems play a part in this broader reality, and the resource and relationships envisioned through I AM Academy are a tangible way to intervene in such a trajectory. Your support for the Thanksgiving Offering is appreciated – using the ‘Thanksgiving Offering’ envelope from your offering envelopes, mailing in a check with the memo for the ‘Thanksgiving Offering’, or using the website Donate link and putting ‘Thanksgiving Offering’ in the memo box.
You can read more specifics from the Cherrys about the I AM Academy below:
Our goal is to have Black young adults (Hope College’s Black Student Union) become life coaches for high school students, high school students will become mentors for middle school students, and middle school students will work with elementary students. The focus is all about building relationships, bringing in representation, and promoting academic and behavioral excellence. The incentive for success and reaching goals set by students is an end-of-the-year trip to Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, or Atlanta where students will visit Black historical sites and colleges. All of the students will complete a project centered around their identity/place in this world, history, values, and/or current events. This year’s theme is “A Year of Atonement: History and Healing for Our Future Generation.” Students will be creating a project that represents their voice and who they are; these projects will be displayed in a Black Excellence Gallery. In addition to the mentorship program and project, students will also participate in college and career exploration.
Our financial needs include but are not limited to resources for the mentorship program (stipend for college students, snacks/meals, activities); the end of the year trip; resources for students’ project and gallery; resources for career and college exploration (bussing, food, community leader role models), and the salary of the director.