Worldview is on the road. Today, our show comes to you from Kalamazoo, Michigan, where we are broadcasting live from the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College. One of the programs for which Kalamazoo is best known is the Kalamazoo Promise, which offers graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools free college tuition at public colleges and universities in Michigan. Anonymous donors created the scholarship in 2005, and thousands of students have since benefited. Joining us to discuss how the Kalamazoo Promise has impacted the achievement gap and upward mobility in Kalamazoo, as well as the work still to be done, is Von Washington Jr., executive director of community relations for the Kalamazoo Promise. Also with us is Rebekah Kik, a former regional fellow at the Arcus Center and current director of community planning and economic development for Kalamazoo. She weighs in on how the Kalamazoo Promise fits into her work and how to create a city plan that puts citizens first. 

The Worldview bus tour is visiting communities throughout the Great Lakes region for a week as we celebrate the show’s twenty-fifth year on air. From water insecurity in Flint to indigenous rights in Kalamazoo, we are sharing stories that allow you to experience the world through the communities in your own backyard.