On June 14, 7:30 pm at Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids join with like-minded people to celebrate the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and the people power that protects them. Communities from across our country are gathering to watch a livestream concert called Rise Up, Sing Out. Come to sing along, connect with neighbors and celebrate the power we build when we come together.
Follow us on Instagram at westmi_indivisible
Call - Governor Whitmer and your state representatives to state your deep concern about the data centers being built in Michigan. Safeguards need to be put in place, environmental oversight provided and our water resources protected, residents need to be protected from increased energy costs, and the “behind door deals” need to stop. Governor Whitmer (517-373-3400) or go online to 5calls.org or use the app
Donate your Treasure - Use one or all of our 4 options to donate what you Can.
Bring cans to recycle at our monthly meeting on June 16
Bring food to our monthly meeting on June 16 for our neighbors who have been affected by ICE
Donate to West MI Indivisible to fight facism and build democracy
d. Donate to West MI Response to help our Neighbors affected by ICE
Instructions to use QR codes: open the camera on your phone, point it at the QR code (the square box with the black design inside, at the top in the photo below), and then click on the highlighted yellow area (at the bottom of the photo below in the center) which will take you to either Act Blue or Venmo where you are able to make your donation. We will have people at our next monthly meeting to walk you through this process if you need further assistance. Don’t be shy…ask us for help!!
Volunteer to Research - People are needed to legally collect documents that are restricted from remote electronic access. This helps in immigration-related legal proceedings. Find more information here
Become an Election Protection Worker - There are many different roles available to help protect Michigan’s primary and general elections this year, from counting absentee ballots, observing early voting and voting day procedures, to monitoring post election day processes. For more information on the various opportunities and trainings, click here.
Choose One Thing - Elections. Supporting Immigrant Neighbors. Reducing Gun Violence. Data Centers. And then make a commitment to take action….Writing Postcards. Making Phone Calls. Attending a Meeting. Talking to Neighbors. Making a Donation.
Choose the Issue….Take the Action
West MI Indivisible Monthly Meeting - Tuesday, June 16, 4:30-6:00 pm. Grandville Public Library, 4055 Maple St. SW, Grandville. Please register here and then join us right after the meeting for Taco Tuesday at Lalo’s right down the road. Have fun with your new like-minded friends. We will have two special speakers at our meeting: Alyssa who is an organizer with End Gun Violence MI, a coalition of 50+ organizations of which Indivisible is one, and Eunice from Be SMART who will talk about our current gun laws. Wear ORANGE to our meeting!!
West MI Indivisible Virtual Meeting - Thursday, June 18 8:00-9:00 pm. Please let your friends who can’t attend our in-person meeting know about this virtual recap. Questions and answers about all Indivisible topics are welcome! Register here to get the link or here is the code at Google meet: gvn-jvgn-jzw
We have a new event! Come to the very first Whine and Dine on Tuesday, June 23, 5:30-7:30 pm at Little Mexico Restaurant, 5651 Byron Center Avenue SW, Wyoming, 49519. Come and Whine and Dine with local, like-minded people! All are welcome! Enjoy conversations about the latest news and how we can resist the Trump regime! There is no set agenda. For those that are interested, information about upcoming events and actions is provided. Register here.
Book Club- Our Summer series will begin on July 2, 6:30-8:00 pm, Grandville Library, 4055 Maple St. SW. Come and join us for lively discussion, snacks, and camaraderie! Register here
Coffee and Whine - Tuesday, August 4, Signatures Coffee, 6375 Balsam Drive, Hudsonville. Register here
Postcard Party - Thursday, August 6, Grandville library. Register here
Bridge Brigade - Friday, June 5, 4:30-5:30 pm, at Hall SW over US-131. June 12, 19, and 26 will be at Fuller SE over I-196. Come and join us! Try something new if you haven’t done this before. Every week, support grows for our demonstration against the Trump regime and what’s happening to our government. Bring a sign if you have one, or use one of ours. We always have extras!!
Resistance Protest - Protest against ICE Every Monday 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm at the SW corner of 28th St SE and East Beltline. Come and join in to help make change. Bring a sign, or if you don’t have one, there are always extras!
Equality Michigan- Volunteer with Equality Michigan Action Network at Grand Rapids Pride! Sign up here for a two-hour shift. EQMI Action Network is bringing Reclaiming MI Pride to GR because this moment calls for more than a celebration. It calls for courage, collectivity, and showing up for one another in a year where our future is being decided. We're not waiting for permission to be proud, we are taking it back!
SWIM (State Wide Indivisible Michigan) is our State - wide Indivisible organization that brings all of us together to join in activities, educational opportunities, and actions.
The Michigan primary will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. There are, among others, two key races that will be on the ballot: the race for Governor and the race for U.S. Senate.
SWIM has asked each individual Indivisible organization to ask their membership which candidate for each position SWIM should endorse. To that end, we are first providing our membership with educational materials on the candidates for your review and ask that you carefully look at them.
In the near future, you will be receiving an Action Alert from West MI Indivisible that gives you an opportunity to vote for Governor and U.S. Senate candidates for endorsement by SWIM. In order for us to submit any votes to SWIM, WE MUST HAVE A RESPONSE FROM 60% (SUPER MAJORITY) OF OUR MEMBERSHIP, or roughly 395 people. If we do not meet that threshold, West MI Indivisible will submit “undecided.”
In summary, please look through the following materials carefully for each candidate first. Then, if you are interested in participating in this event, make your decision on which candidate you would vote for at this point. And finally, keep an eye out for the Action Alert that will announce your opportunity and directions for you to submit your anonymous vote that will count ONLY for this SWIM/Indivisible “endorsement election.”
Gubernatorial Candidate Resources:
The People’s Coalition Candidate Forum
Chris Swanson (link) (Garlin Gilchrist is included in this video from 2025 as he was still a Gubernatorial candidate at that time; he is now running for Secretary of State)
Jocelyn Benson (link)
2026 Interviews
Chris Swanson
Jocelyn Benson
Candidate’s Websites
U.S. Senate Candidate Resources:
Forums
SWIM Forum 4-8-26 McMorrow & El-Sayed (Stevens chose not to appear)
Full Senate Debate at 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference
Podcasts/Interviews
Campaign Websites
State Senator Mallory McMorrow
US Representative Haley Stevens
Families - We are continuing to support our three families with weekly food (a total of 15 people) and have resumed caring for one of our original families of four who have found themselves in a short-term crisis. We just met with a new family-a single mother of a 21 month old whose significant other was detained last week along with his two brothers. She is pregnant and due this fall. We will be providing them with food on a weekly basis as well as household needs, diapers (size 4), and wipes.
Needs - dried black beans, canned tomatoes, Maseca 22 lb. bags of corn masa flour (available at WalMart), large bags of rice (Costco or Sam’s Club), sugar, salt, gallons of milk, large jugs of corn oil, fresh fruit and vegetables, packages of chicken, beef, or pork, cheese, bags of onions, diapers (size 4), baby wipes, laundry detergent, fabric softener, toothpaste, men’s and women’s deodorant, toilet paper, dish soap, paper towels, soap, body wash, lotion.
We need a few can openers!!
From one of our families…
”I am very grateful to God for sending you as a blessing in our life.”
Another way you can help is to support immigrant friendly or immigrant owned restaurants! Here is the beginning of a list for you. If you know of other good spots, please let us know and we will continue to update the list!
1. Littlefoot Coffee Roasters, 3049 Broadway Ave SW, Grandville, MI 49418
2. Belkis Bistro Venezuelan Restaurant, 1500 44th St SW, Wyoming, MI 49509
3. Madras Indian Grill, 2030 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508
4. Lalos Mexican Restaurant, 3910 Chicago Dr SW, Grandville, MI 49418
5. Two Guys Brewing, 2356 Porter St SW, Wyoming, MI 49519
6. Mi Bella Guatemalan Bakery and Shop, 3728 Alpine NW, Comstock Park MI 40504
7. Little Africa-Ethiopian Food, 956 E. Fulton, Grand Rapids MI 40503
June is “Gun Violence Awareness Month” in Michigan. Various Indivisible groups throughout the state have joined together in an effort to reduce gun violence, protect our children, provide educational resources to people, and increase the availability of gun locks, particularly to homes with children.
At our June 16 monthly meeting, West MI Indivisible will have 100 cable gun locks available free of charge as well as a wide variety of educational resources. The color orange is worn to honor those who have died by gun violence, to promote safe gun storage and safety, violence prevention, and to increase awareness.
The movement began in 2013 when Hadiya Pendleton, age 15, was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago, one week after having performed at President Obama’s second inaugural parade. To celebrate her life and protest the senseless killing, her friends began to wear orange, the color that hunters wear to signal “don’t shoot” and to protect themselves when they are out hunting.
Who will you wear orange for in June?
West MI Indivisible always welcomes volunteers! Big or small, your efforts make a difference. E-mail us at westmiindivisible@gmail.com to get involved or ask any questions.
Our Democracy needs us!
“By actively engaging in peaceful protests, raising awareness, and exercising our democratic rights, we can create meaningful change and ensure that oppressive forces do not thrive.”
- from BookKey, 30 Best On Tyranny quotes.
No AI is used in the writing or the design of this newsletter.
Thanks for reading West MI INDIVISIBLE!
Thanks for doing your part to save our democracy!
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