GR
Stories
GR Stories is an ongoing series hosted by the Grand Rapids Public Museum showcasing authentic stories from within the community.
About GR Stories
Created to dive deeper into the local community, GR Stories takes us throughout the Greater Grand Rapids to hear from the people themselves, sharing their rich history and contributions to the area. With in person and virtual options, these programs are bridges being built to better understand one another. As part of these programs, the Museum is actively collecting the stories and artifacts of our diverse community in the Collections.
Past GR Stories
This is Our Home Now: 50 Years of Building Community After Saigon
The Grand Rapids Public Museum and Kentwood Public Schools teamed up to bring history to life through student-led storytelling. Students interviewed parents who were refugees of the Vietnam War and shared their perspectives.
The 14th Amendment: Living in
Grand Rapids
The third installment in the 14th Amendment Series: Learning, Living, and Loving in Grand Rapids, this panel discussion addressed the Supreme Court decision Shelley v. Kraemer (1948), the Fair Housing Act, and more through Grand Rapids
experiences.
14th Amendment: Loving in Grand Rapids
The second installment in the 14th Amendment Series: Learning, Living, and Loving in Grand Rapids, this panel discussion featured couples whose marriages were affirmed by Loving v. Virginia (1967). Panelists
discussed their experiences
as interracial
couples.
The 14th Amendment: Learning in Grand Rapids
“Learning” explores the real-life impact of the Brown decision on the Grand Rapids Public Schools and its students. The panelists were the former children who carried the burden of the GRPS board's integration plan.
The Women's City Club of Grand Rapids Presents Our First 100 Years
On March 14, 2024, the Grand Rapids Public Museum hosted the Women’s City Club of Grand Rapids’ celebration of their 100-year anniversary and the release of their book Our First One Hundred Years.
Making the
MexiRican
City
This panel discussion, led by Dr. Delia Fernandez-Jones, author of author of Making the MexiRican City, addressed themes of migration, activism, and placemaking in Grand Rapids, offering valuable insights and fostering enriching dialogue.
More GR Stories
Explore some of the earlist GR Stories events from 2020 to early 2023. Topics include Public Health, The Grand River Burial Mounds, Black and Brown history, The 49507 Project, and Polish Halls.
If you have stories or artifacts related to the history of Grand Rapids, we would love to know about them. Contact a GRPM Curator at grpm.org/ContactCollections.