Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance announces permanent closure

HOLLAND — Several months after the departure of executive director Gloria Lara, the board of directors for the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance has announced the nonprofit is closing for good.

As of Friday afternoon, the organization's website was gone. The nonprofit was located at 515 S. Waverly Road in Holland until August 2023, when officials announced they'd work remotely.

LEDA, according to a release from the board, was founded in 1996 after a local Black family experienced a racial hate incident. It was first named the North Ottawa Ethnic Diversity Alliance. The organization has long aimed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion along the lakeshore.

Those efforts included Calling All Colors, a program that provided a safe space for middle and high school students; a regular Summit on Race and Inclusion, which attracted national speakers; frequent Diversity Training Workshops that reached hundreds; and, most recently, an initiative called "Welcoming Ottawa" that aimed to fill a void left by the abrupt closure of the Ottawa County Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department — shuttered by the Ottawa County Board's new majority, Ottawa Impact, in January 2023.

In the release sent to media, remaining staff members emphasized the importance of the work completed by LEDA over the past 28 years.

"LEDA has made an indelible impression on lakeshore communities and beyond," the organization wrote. "The board and staff hope others will carry on the work that LEDA pursued for nearly three decades. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone in West Michigan and beyond who supported LEDA over the years."

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The Sentinel has reached out to the organization for additional comment. No reason was immediately provided for the closure.

— Cassandra Lybrink is the local editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at clybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @CassLybrink.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance announces permanent closure