At the top of this week’s episode Alek and Doug address Monday’s troubling news that teachers within the Three Rivers Community Schools system were asked to remove Pride flags in their classrooms in response to an “external challenge” by an unidentified party.   

The hosts of Keep Your Voice Down are also joined by Sarah Lee, Director of Marketing Communications at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. The trio discusses Sarah’s role at KZCF, her upbringing in Malaysia and how she became deeply rooted in Kalamazoo, the importance of being “equity-minded” when addressing matters of social and racial injustice, the foundation’s efforts to support local journalism, and the story behind the formation of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative.

In the face of rapidly rising COVID-19 case numbers, Glen Oaks Community College (GOCC) is stepping up its response by minimizing in-person interactions on its Centreville Campus. College President David Devier and other administrators provided an update during a regular meeting of the GOCC Board of Trustees Thursday morning, and Devier provided a further update on additional restrictions through a statement issued later on Thursday.