GR history through the lens of those in power vs a people’s history of GR

Recently, I posted an article that was critical of the GR A250 group, which was created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US and the 175th anniversary of the founding of Grand Rapids.

I have also noted in a previous post that the steering committee for the GR A250 group is dominated by members of the GR Power Structure. Additionally, what this group posts on their Facebook page is primarily history from the perspective of those with economic or political power, which was the subject of my last post regarding GR A250.

The GR A250 once again made a post that is reflective of people with power, in this case specifically economic power. The post included the following commentary, along with an picture of the old Lear facility.

Before innovation reached cruising altitude, it lifted off in Grand Rapids.

Long before his name became synonymous with business jets, Bill Lear built and scaled much of his early success right here in Grand Rapids through Lear Service. From pioneering radio technology to advancing aircraft systems, Lear’s work helped push American innovation forward by proving that world-changing ideas didn’t just come from the coasts, but from communities like ours.

Grand Rapids wasn’t a witness to innovation. It helped launch it.

Once again, the emphasis is on business people, without ever mentioning those who actually made Lear’s wealth, the workers. More importantly, the Lear company, which later became Lear Siegler, didn’t just make jets, they also has contracts with the Department of Defense to make weapons, including nuclear weapons.

An anti-nuclear campaign began against Lear Siegler began in fall of 1983, with students from the Aquinas College Social Action Committee raising awareness about the military contract that the company had to make flight systems for nuclear weapons In the Spring of 1984, Aquinas students, several of which were seminary students, organized a Good Friday Stations of the Cross action from the campus to the Lear Siegler plant several miles away.

Some 200 people took part in this action, which got a fair amount of news cover-age with information about the fact that parts for nuclear weapons were being manufactured right there in the Grand Rapids area. Students who had organized the action were then confronted by the Aquinas College President who told them that this action was “shameless and judgmental.” The students said they were acting on the US Catholic Bishop’s recent pastoral letter, which called nuclear weapons immoral. It was later discovered that the CEO of Lear Siegler was a major financial contributor to Aquinas College.

The Aquinas students who were involved in that effort, then began a weekly leaf-letting campaign outside of the Lear Siegler manufacturing facility, with leaflets focusing on the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation and economic conversation. However, the leafletting campaign only lasted for five months and then Lear Siegler was bought by a British corporation called Smith Industries.

I completely get why those who run the GR A250 project want to highlight business achievements, since many of them are business owners. But this is exactly why I will continue to provide analysis and counter narratives around Grand Rapids history, specifically a people’s history.