Coleman Yoakum, founder and Executive Director of Micah 6 Community, came to Pontiac in 2012 hoping to serve a neighborhood that had high crime, high foreclosure, and high unemployment. He and a group of equally passionate and capable friends bought a house in Pontiac, formed Micah 6 Community, and became part of the neighborhood. The […]
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![The Alliance of Leadership Fellows (ALF) will use a recent grant from Americana to develop a series of Climate Crisis Dialogues that will enable climate advocates to share perspectives about how differing forms of evidence and impact---while they converge in painting a devastating picture---must be understood and integrated in building new connections and fostering alliances to stimulate collective action. ALF asserts that scientific consensus and public awareness have now come together to the point that many people, and especially young people, describe climate change as the most significant issue facing the world today. ALF cites a 2020 Pew Research Center survey that found that most Americans believe too little is being done to reduce the effects of climate change. ALF believes that while “public awareness is high and public understanding is growing, public commitment and action is at best uneven and differs by age, location, racial identity and political affiliation.” ALF asserts that, The [climate crisis] touches on virtually every sector of our society and many aspects of our daily lives. While many forms of evidence point to a significant if very complex reality, both evidence and solutions have the effect of dividing people even when the challenge of a climate crisis confronts us in a collective way. Some concerns focus on the disproportionate impact a climate crisis would have on the poor and disenfranchised. Others center on environmental degradation around the world pointing to species extinction, glacial melt, floods, and droughts. Still others point to social and economic impacts of wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other weather extremes. Some see the solution in changing what we eat, or in what, where and how we travel, or in international agreements, or in a social movement. This series of Climate Crisis Dialogues will highlight the analyses, concerns, and interests of a diverse group of climate advocates to help them find common ground across their respective analyses and concerns and stimulate commitment and collective action. Ultimately, ALF intends the series to challenge assumptions underlying various approaches to climate mitigation to reduce the obstacles that are preventing widespread recognition from translating into widespread commitment and the broadly endorsed actions that are necessary to confront the climate crisis. The Climate Crisis Dialogues, a part of ALF’s “Talk that Walks” initiative, will take place quarterly throughout 2022 and will include at least four webinars followed by podcasts and other communications and outreach designed to share information and expand audiences. Topics covered will include the impact of climate change on ecosystems, the most vulnerable, the healthcare system, global food security and production, and environmental justice. ALF’s mission is to help leaders working for equitable and sustainable human flourishing to become more effective individually and in collaboration with one another. ALF represents transformational leaders in communities, institutions and across societies and has three broad goals: Inform and promote action to bring collective leadership to shaping social justice and equity issues and conditions Promote and expand an intergenerational and global leadership community Build a national and international presence through recognition of courageous leadership. More information about ALF is available on the ALF website.](https://americanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/clock_image.jpg)
The Alliance of Leadership Fellows (ALF) will use a recent grant from Americana to develop a series of Climate Crisis Dialogues that will enable climate advocates to share perspectives about how differing forms of evidence and impact—while they converge in painting a devastating picture—must be understood and integrated in building new connections and fostering alliances
From May 2020 through August 2021, five “next generation” members of Americana’s founding family participated in a program that introduced them to Americana’s mission, program areas, trustees, and staff. The Next Gen cohort included Jessie Harper, Kyle Harper, Ashley Thomas, Jennifer Thomas, and Nathan Thomas, all of whom are great-grandchildren of Adolph and Ginger Meyer,
In August 2021, Americana awarded a grant to the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey/Traverse City to support the production of a television documentary and educational classroom series that explores and celebrates the history, traditions, culture, and natural resources of Michigan. The sixty-minute documentary film entitled Michigan: An American Portrait explores how the people of Michigan have
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Decades ago, furniture and decorative arts contributed by Americana’s founders, Adolph and Ginger Meyer, served as a key part of the historic redecoration of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms in the Harry S. Truman Building in Washington DC that houses the U.S. Department of State. The Meyers contributed to the project to increase appreciation for early
In February 2021, Americana awarded a grant to support the launch of a new series on WDET titled “Rooted.” WDET launched the series in large part due to the realization over the past year that everything is much more connected than we might believe. The series will consist of stories hosted by WDET’s Annamarie Sysling
Old Sturbridge Village is an outdoor living history museum located in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. For 75 years, the Village has depicted life in a rural New England town during the period of 1790 to 1840. The Village features historic buildings, collections of Americana, costumed historians, and programs in agriculture, horticulture, households and trade shops (pottery, woodworking,
The Great Clock at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia is one of Monticello’s most familiar and celebrated objects. The clock was built to Thomas Jefferson’s specifications and has remained in the Hall at Monticello since 1804. “It is a rare survivor and an original artifact,” explains Gardiner Hallock, Robert H. Smith Director of Restoration
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Edible Flint grew out of efforts to address issues of food insecurity and challenged access to healthy food, increasing rates of health problems resulting from inadequate nutrition, and increasing amounts of abandoned property and vacant land in Flint, Michigan. It was created by early partners like the Ruth Mott Foundation, the Genesee County Land Bank,
Hessel, Michigan is an unincorporated village in the eastern end of the Upper Peninsula. Known for its great fishing, antique boat show, and annual Aldo Leopold Festival, its “up North” character and location near the Les Cheneaux Islands makes it a wonderful spot for summer travelers. A key feature of the village is the Hessel
Have you ever been to Hessel, Michigan? Read More »
