It is difficult for those of us who have enough to truly understand the situations that families living in poverty experience every day—the decisions they have to make, and the fears and frustrations they feel. We invite you to walk a mile in the shoes of those facing poverty by participating in the Community Action […]
Archive | Stories
One Voice of Many
November has always brought comfort and joy to my heart: the fall breeze, the colorful foliage, and the smell of damp air warning for a long winter to come. It’s always been a month of celebration as well. My husband and I both have November birthdays, and so do my brother and my sister in […]
Advancing Equity: Community Efforts and Outcomes 2017
↓ Download Advancing Equity: Community Efforts and Outcomes 2016
Immigrant Families Under Fire: A Call to Compassion in the Heartland
Their names were Josseline, Marlen, Areceli, Omar, Gustavo, Daniel and Yolanda. Their stories were riveting and heartbreaking. Their lives are lived in fear and jeopardy. The reality of these undocumented immigrants and refugees from Central America and Mexico was described by Margaret Regan, author and journalist from Tucson, to a crowd of 200 Dubuque-area people […]
Inclusive Practices Lead to Better Outcomes for Kids at St. Mark
When Beth McGorry walks into bookstores in Dubuque, her first item of business is to look for diverse faces on the covers of children’s books. It’s not something she used to notice, but through her work at St. Mark Youth Enrichment, she knows how important it is for kids to be able to see themselves […]
Finding Balance
My entire life I have struggled with finding balance—in everything: work and family, exercise and rest, strength and softness, learning and vulnerability, awareness and fear, justice and mercy. The older I get and the faster the world seems to go, the more visibly these tensions show up in my life; on my face, in my […]
Impact vs. Intent
The Inclusive Dubuque Network recently created a poster with a message of being welcoming and inclusive of everyone in our community in the hopes that we would see these posters in storefronts, businesses, homes, and more. We thought we’d use a quote that business leaders would recognize in order to make them feel more comfortable […]
Embracing Fear to Make a Positive Impact
Regardless of our age, race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or political views, it is safe to say that our world appears to be changing, and quite quickly. From the millions of people who marched across the globe in support of women’s and human rights to those who gathered at airports in support […]
Out of Many, One
My name is Sam Giere. I am a husband and father. I am a teacher. I am a middle-aged white man with Nordic roots. I am a Christian preacher. I volunteer with Dubuque Community School District. I am a bagpiper in the Dubuque Fire Pipes & Drums. I grew-up along the Canadian border in Minnesota. […]
Election Results: No Excuse for Intolerance
No matter your political beliefs, this contentious election season has taken a toll on all of us. The last 18 months have exposed deep divisions in our country and have reminded us how important it is to remain committed to our work of creating an equitable and inclusive community where everyone has access to opportunity […]