VanHorssen Returns From Non-Profit Vacation and Shares Her Questionable Analysis of Moroccan Culture
“It was an amazing experience in a country that is not polarized around issues of race, of religion, or all of the other things that seem to be driving us apart,” declared Barbara Lee VanHorssen, the Experi-Mentor of the Momentum Center.
(photo: VanHorssen Facebook)
Where is this place that is not plagued by divisions of race or religion? According to VanHorssen, it is Morocco. VanHorssen journeyed there from November 1-15, 2023, with seven other people as part of a Momentum Center “cultural immersion” program.
(Google.com)
VanHorssen made this statement during public comment at the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners meeting on November 28, 2023. Click here to view the entire comment. She was responding to recent criticism of the “cultural immersion” experience offered by the non-profit she runs. The cultural immersion trips are led by her taxpayer-funded, non-profit Momentum Center, and appear to be little more than luxury vacations. These trips were described in the recent article, “Introducing the Momentum Center Travel Agency.” Coincidentally, she had just returned from Morocco when the article was published. Pictured below is part of the group at the start of their vacation.
(photo: Momentum Center, Facebook.com)
Over the next two weeks, VanHorssen and her group toured Morocco with a guide. The itinerary highlights included visiting Casablanca, Chefchaouen, a camel trek, relaxing on the shore, and enjoying local food. The Momentum Center shared this advertisement for the trip on their social media.
(Momentum Center, Facebook.com)
VanHorssen and her fellow travelers chronicled their trip with almost daily public Facebook posts showing their accommodations (which appeared to be upscale hotels), drinking and dining experiences, shopping adventures, beach visits, and rides on camels. Here are some highlights from Barbara Lee VanHorssen and Bill Haug’s public Facebook profiles:
“Just another day in paradise!”
The Momentum Center travelers with the tour guides in the middle:
VanHorssen enjoying Morocco:
Dining: where are the locals?
Hotels:
The purpose of the trip, according to tax returns was, “To learn about other cultures, communities and traditions. Learning about other cultures provides a way to see the world from other perspectives and increases awareness of our own.” However, Van Horssen’s quote appeared to show, even after her vacation, that she was naïve to the actual cultural dynamics in Morocco. She said, “It was an amazing experience in a country that is not polarized around issues of religion, or race, or all of the other things that seem to be driving us apart.”
Located in North Africa, Morocco has a mix of Arab, Berber, and European cultures. Its official languages are Arabic and Berber, and its official and predominant religion is Islam. The population of Morocco is estimated at 35.6 million (2020). The Arab-Berber people are the majority demographic and make up 99.1% of the population. Ethnic groups that comprise the other small percentage of people include Gnawa, Europeans, Jews, and Sub-Saharan African. As for religion, more than 99% of the population is Sunni Muslim, and less than 0.1% is Shia Muslim. In addition, there are some very small pockets of Jews and Christians. So, there is actually very little diversity of race or religion in Morocco.
Did she return seeing the world from another perspective? In her public comment, VanHorssen praised what she perceived as a country that had no polarization. However, part of that is because there is not as much diversity in race and religion as there is in the United States. The US is comprised of 18.7% Latino or Hispanic, 12.1% Black American, 6.1% Asian American, and 59% non-Hispanic white population. There is more diversity in religion in the US as well: 70.6% Christian, 5.9% non-Christian faiths, and 22.8% unaffiliated or no religion.
Given this stark difference in diversity, it is interesting to note that VanHorssen and the Momentum Center are activists for diversity. According to her LinkedIn profile: “Barbara has committed her vocational journey to advocating for diverse populations.” In addition, the mission of the Momentum Center is to advocate for “radical diversity”.
Momentum Center Mission:
VanHorssen posing in Michigan with her diverse group of activists:
With diversity comes challenges. It would seem reasonable to instead ponder the cultural differences between the two countries in light of the freedoms that are not allowed in Morocco. A traveler may ask, why does it appear there is less polarization? Or, what aspects of this culture would benefit our culture in the US? With a truly full immersion experience, some trade-offs in the system may have presented themselves. What can we learn from the differences that we can apply when we return home?
The other reason she may have inaccurately perceived that there is no polarization in Morocco could be due to vast differences in rights and freedoms compared to the US. Some of the major differences are listed below. Many aspects that allow diversity here in the States are not allowed in Morocco. These aspects include:
Homosexual acts and pre-marital sex are illegal in Morocco
Proselytizing and conversion to any religion except for Islam is illegal
Non-Islamic religious items cannot be distributed (Arabic Bibles, etc.)
Criticizing the monarchy is illegal
Women should cover their body modestly for their own safety
Only 20% of women are in the work force and less likely to have health care and pensions
Moroccan Christians cannot be buried in Christian cemeteries, by law
All publicly funded educational institutions must teach Sunni Islam, by law
Cultural immersion does not require a fancy vacation and the best hotels. An authentic dinner off the beaten path with people not in your tour group, learning a trade, or participating in a religious ceremony—all of these experiences allow someone to begin to learn and appreciate another culture. Vacationing in a foreign country is not the same thing.
The Momentum Center has been going on cultural immersion trips for at least 6 years. These trips are shown as itemized lines in their tax returns. The wording on the tax forms say:
“Cultural immersion experiences involve going to other countries in order to learn about other cultures, communities and traditions. Learning about other cultures provides a way to see the world from other perspectives and increases awareness of our own.”
The trips are also officially part of the Momentum Center program and services as learned through FOIA to Ottawa County:
The most troubling part about the non-profit is that they are primarily funded by taxpayers, and are continually requesting donations from local organizations and individuals. From FOIAs, it was determined that The Momentum Center regularly invoices Community Mental Health (CMH). In March 2016, the Momentum Center began receiving $24,233 per month from the Ottawa County Mental Health Millage.
In addition to the monthly payments from the mental health millage, they have received funding for start-up costs associated with opening the Moo-Mentum ice cream parlor in Holland. In May 2023, the Grand Haven Momentum Center moved in to the former Rendezvous restaurant building. They have lofty goals of raising over $2 million to fully renovate the building, and recently received a $700,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to help with this goal.
Shown below are excerpts of tax returns from the years 2017-2019 that include expenses and revenues for cultural immersion trips. In 2018, the expenses for trips to Kenya, China, and Egypt were $54,720 and their revenue was $21,488.
(Momentum Center 2017 Tax Excerpt )
(2018 Tax Excerpt)
(2019 Tax Excerpt)
Barbara Lee VanHorssen’s statement that there is no polarization in Morocco struck many observers as strange. In the US, our Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee the freedoms of every citizen, attracting more immigrants to the US year after year than any other country. Americans are blessed with a melting pot of people and the ability to express individualism. In Morocco, although VanHorssen apparently observed no polarization, she failed to fully immerse herself enough to understand the societal differences and historical events that have led to this relative “peace.” With rules prohibiting certain individual expressions and religion, there is currently no allowance for real diversity in Morocco like we enjoy in the US.
How much time and resources are going towards what appears to be a luxury vacation for a small group of people? Were the goals of cultural immersion described on the tax reports fulfilled? How is the mental health of our local community improved by these trips? The Momentum Center is currently planning a trip to China for 2024 as another “cultural immersion.” It is time to stop using taxpayer money to fund the Momentum Center and look for other community resources that are more focused on helping the local community with mental health issues.