Listening Tour Hears About Challenges Facing Others In Iowa
The Listening Tour
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Just over a dozen people came together this week at the Oskaloosa restaurant ‘On the Green’ to be a part of the Listening Tour hosted by Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.
Connie Ryan, Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa facilitated the evening’s discussion.
Interfaith Alliance of Iowa is a statewide nonpartisan organization that works on issues such as religious freedom, ensuring equality and challenging extremism “and doing so, all through the lens of civility, which is always an interesting task, particularly these days,” added Ryan.
“We come from a progressive point of view, and include people of faith and no faith in our work because religious freedom supports all of that and is important for all of us,” said Ryan.
Ryan said that Interfaith Alliance of Iowa does both education and advocacy work. “The advocacy work looks very different, depending on the situation. Part of my job is to lobby at the state house. When the legislature’s in session, I’m at the capitol building.”
The Listening Tour is one of those educational pieces the Interfaith Alliance does.
Oskaloosa was the seventh of eight stops on the tour, with them finishing in Des Moines.”We want to discuss issues of the impact of hate and bigotry and violence, but really whatever issues are of concern to you are on the table.”
Ryan referenced Charlottesville and the protest that took place there at the University of Virginia. “Men, primarily men, walking through the streets carrying tiki torches, really just in your face hatred. Hatred towards people who are African-American, people who are Jewish, people who are Muslim, people who are immigrants, women, just all of those categories.”
After that protest and violence in Charlottesville, Ryan said she and her co-workers worked to plan a rally to denounce hate. With approximately 24 hours of lead time, the rally drew approximately 700 people of many backgrounds to speak. “It was so powerful, at the end we were holding hands and saying we’re going to stand together. Standing together and fighting back.”
Ryan said these types of works are a piece of what they [Interfaith Alliance] do. “Making sure there is a progressive voice on these really important issues.”
The Listening Tour was put into place to hear about concerns Iowans have in different communities, “and how we might partner together to do better work.”
Ryan started off the conversation by asking those gathered, “What gives you hope? I know there is a lot of negatives, but there are pieces of hope in our world.”
“Since Trump got in, these groups have popped up, and the worse it gets for us, it seems like our groups are intermingling and kind of coming together,” said one Jasper County resident.
Robin White, a Pella area resident said that for her, an area church gave her hope, “It’s a congregation here in Oskaloosa, St. Paul Congregational United Church of Christ. I’ve been affiliated with the congregation now about a half a year. It’s a very small congregation, but everyone’s been absolutely, incredibly open and accepting. I feel like I have a church family, and that church family, especially during the holidays, has given me a great deal of hope.”
White is a leader in the transgender community locally, helping to lead the Transgender Day of Remembrance at the square in Oskaloosa in the past.
Another point for hope for White is two federal judges who have said that transgender individuals can openly serve in the military, blocking an order from President Trump that would move transgender policy to a time before 2016, and would have blocked new transgender recruits from joining the military.
The halt to Trump’s order is temporary while the court fully reviews the policy.
“To not allow transgender people in the military is discriminatory,” added White.
The question was posed as to why to value diversity.
“We live in a diverse world, and when you live in a place like Oskaloosa or Pella, and you lack that diversity, you lack an understanding of the other 95% of the population of the world that’s out there,” added an area resident. “When the diversity comes into your community, you become more aware of it, you interact with it, you realize not everybody looks like me, thinks like me, and that’s only a plus.”
Chad Farner, an Oskaloosa Middle School teacher, said that diversity in the school has increased. “You just see it in the classroom. Kids are kids.”
Farner shared a story about a new student who arrived in Oskaloosa. “People just grabbed onto him. [New student] is part of the group, for good and bad, people latched onto him and so I think schools are a great binder for our community.”
The group dispersed into the evening, having shared many of their fears about society since President Trump took office, but also having hope for the future, and that his time in office will allow the pendulum of public opinion to once again swing in their favor.
