William Hardy, one of the most prominent African American settles in Kent County, moved to Paris Township in 1844. He would become good friends with Sluman Bailey, another early settler of the area. The Bailey family would house the Hardy family during a couple of months in the winter of 1860 when the Hardys’ home burned. Sluman later would tell his granddaughter the experience was one of the “most rewarding in my life.”

In 1872, Hardy would be elected as the Gaines Township supervisor and is considered one of the first African American government official in the area. He died in 1888.

Four of his five children vowed to never have children because of the discrimination they found outside of their community. Today, the City of Kentwood is considered one of the most diverse in the state and the nation.