During the June 20, 2023, Ottawa County Health and Human Services meeting, a citizen spoke about the Momentum Center Anti-Racism Task Force.
“Good Morning Commissioners,
My comment is about the Momentum Center that is funded by Community Mental Health (CMH). The Center's motto is radical inclusivity. As a taxpayer, I do not believe that I should be paying for radical inclusivity. The Momentum Center Town Hall on Racism and the Education System is an example of its radical inclusivity. The following are quotes taken from the Town Hall moderated by its Experi-Mentor Barbara Lee VanHorsen. Maybe this is Barbara Lee's idea of a stigma free environment for community conversations embracing the inherent worth of each individual:
Barbara Lee started the conversation: ‘Our Town Hall is on Racism and the Educational System and presented by The (Anti) Racism Task Force from Ottawa County and made up of about 35 different organizations. One of those organizations is the Ottawa County CMH. Our panelists tonight, I am super-excited. Calvin Terrell - of the Social Centric Institute. Beckie Bush is the OAISD Curriculum Consultant.’
Calvin Terrell began: ‘We of the "land of the free" and the land of the thieves and home of the slaves. Do you know what we do in school? We indoctrinate children to sustain white wealth. Schooling is about indoctrinating people to sustain white wealth. We have been a society of law & order in that order is about sustaining white dominance. How do we exploit these crises that we are in right now? As in opportunity to reimagine schooling. If you have some paperwork, draw a ladder with 6 rungs on it. Top rung- White people. Second rung- white status. Otherness. Dangerous. Black status. Black people. This is the order. It has been legalized since the inception of this country. Only education, true education will interrupt this.’
Beckie Bush commented: ‘Calvin has done an amazing job already of providing us a broad view of the issues that we will be discussing tonight. Fortunately, the past cycle of an effective American History instruction can be broken.’
Barbara Lee followed up: ‘Thank you, so much Calvin and Beckie. Incredible presentations.’
Calvin Terrell suggested a strategy: ‘I think the first thing is to do a look at who is in the district. The various identities, and starting with race. Looking at within each racial identity, gender expression, class, religion, belief, Cognitive Abilities, sexuality - every group is dealing with these issues. Intersectionality it sounds like.’
This was not a stigma free environment. It was a struggle session or denunciation rally. The only thing missing was surrounding a kneeling victim with raised fists and shouting accusations. Perhaps at the new location.
This was radical inclusivity. A so-called grass roots community conversation. The left cries systemic racism. Well, this is it.
The taxpayers should not be funding systematic bigotry. You can stop the funding to the Momentum Center and re-evaluate funding to the CMH. In the words of Calvin Terrell, “interrupt this.”
God bless you
The Momentum Center in Grand Haven has been hosting Anti-Racism Task Force town hall meetings for several years. Past meetings such as the Town Hall on Racism and the Education System that featured the controversial racist speaker Calvin Terrill and Ottawa Area Intermediate School District Curriculum Consultant Becky Bush can be viewed on the Momentum Center youtube channel.
The Anti-Racism Task Force partners are featured below. A recent article revealed that the Momentum Center receives approximately $290,799/year in taxpayer funding through Community Mental Health Ottawa County. Much of their other funding comes from donations from organizations such as the Grand Haven Community Foundation.
It appears our tax dollars are being sent to an organization that promotes divisive political ideologies that are profoundly un-American. This is concerning to everyday citizens and they are speaking out.