Blog Series: What Will Kalamazoo Look Like in 10 Years? Part 1: Valerie Wright

“I believe in the long view, the five year view, the ten year view,” Valerie Wright says of her vision and action in the community of Kalamazoo.

In this four-part series, we explore the future of Kalamazoo through the eyes, ideas, and expectations of community leaders.  To begin, we sought the wisdom of Valerie Wright, principal and senior interior designer at Diekema Hamann. As a transplant to Kalamazoo over 25 years ago, Valerie brings the perspective of an outsider entirely engaged inside the community . Read on for Valerie’s input on the next 10 years and beyond.

Custer: What do you think Kalamazoo will look like in 10 years?

VW: Just to give you a little context, I’m not originally from Kalamazoo. I came here because of a job in 1990-91, and never thought I would end up here; you don’t always know where you’ll find home. But I ended up staying and meeting my husband here, who’s not from Kalamazoo either, and becoming really rooted and nested in the community.  My vision of Kalamazoo is from that lens: of being active not just from a work perspective, where I have the good fortune of designing building projects in the healthcare, education, government, and non-profit sectors, but also from both my husband I being active in the community on different fronts. We made that intentional investment in the community because we really believe in the community. What I would like Kalamazoo to be in ten years is a more inclusive and just place for people to be. And I mean just by literal definition. The equal distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges. That is my aspiration for Kalamazoo, and I think we’re going in that direction because of many different things. I don’t know if you’ve heard about Catalyst University, which is hosted by Southwest Michigan First. What Catalyst focuses on is leadership development, but Southwest Michigan First is focused on creating jobs and cultivating a strong economy. And that’s really important, because they believe the greatest force for change is a job. That’s part of the equation for social justice. We also have the Kalamazoo Promise, which is providing an equal playing ground for the kids in Kalamazoo to go to college. We have the Foundation for Excellence, which was the $70 million donation to the city to take care of the budget gap in Kalamazoo so that the community can focus on other projects that need to be done within the community.

Year-round activities & activism

Also, I was first elected in 2005 to serve on the Kalamazoo Library Board of Trustees.  I ran for the library board because I know what my one thing is and that is making sure everyone has equal access to information.  One thing that we’ve been trying to do is eliminate institutional racism within the Kalamazoo Public Library. We’ve been very involved in what’s called ERACCE: Eliminating Racism and Creating/Celebrating Equity. We’ve gone through training and workshops, and as a board, we adopted a social justice resolution last year in August. We want that to be a strong statement that that’s something we believe in. I have been working on the Bronson Park 21st Century Campaign, which is raising $2.8 million dollars to renovate and restore Bronson Park, which is the heart of Kalamazoo and where everything and everyone comes together. People protest there, they play there, we pray there, everything happens there. In Bronson Park, we have the Iannelli fountain, a public works fountain.  In partnership with the Gun Lake Tribe of Pottawatomi Indians, we are coming together and using that as a way to tell an educational story. That’s going to be part of this restoration/renovation of Bronson Park along with new and enhanced lighting and sound, free public access wifi, new furniture and increased seating, and an ice rink and a splash pad — all specifically based on community. Everyone should feel they have a place in the park. We want to support existing year-round activities but also future programs, to make sure people are coming downtown.

Community engagement & justice

There’s also Imagine Kalamazoo 2025, and it’s all about engagement with the citizens, community groups, businesses, developers, investors, government — all of these people discussing what the future could be for Kalamazoo. Discuss it, design it, plan it, and act upon it. That’s very energizing and motivating for our city. And I want to contribute to all of that, because I believe in the long view, the five year view, the ten year view. I think that all of these things contribute to a more just place. That’s what I want Kalamazoo to look like in ten years, and I’m trying to be a part of that in ways that I can be.

For more information on Diekema Hamann, visit their website.

Ready for the next post on the Kalamazoo Community? The blog series continues here with input from Jeff Eckert of Eckert Wordell. Don’t miss it!

As we continue to post input from community leaders, we hope you’ll share with us in the comments below: what do you think Kalamazoo will look like 10 years from now?