This time of year, we give thanks for you, dear reader; for all those working to bring about a better world; for all the little things we have done this year together–because they add up to a lot.
Thank you to all 42 attendees who joined this discussion last week! The interactive break-outs put us “in the situation” and surfaced some important tactics for dealing with racist, Eurocentric or otherwise problematic comments:
1) stay calm
2) try to learn more
3) use “I” statements
People usually don’t change their worldviews from a single conversation, but rather from many conversations over time!
Special thanks to Dr. Sherry Watt, whose material helped inform the discussion.
Share feedback and ideas for future events with dsmsurj@gmail.com
The election is over and so we ask: “Now what?” There are many possible answers to that question, so for this newsletter we will only suggest using the results as a building block for future action.
Breaking that down a bit more, let’s glimpse the results for just the candidates who attended the DSM SURJ Central Iowa Candidate Forum on Sept 13. (Those candidates were Heather Matson, Jennifer Konfrst, Aaron Sewell, Dave Stock, and Bruce Hunter.)
District 34
*Incumbent
| Candidate | Total Votes | % Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Hunter (D) * | 9,470 | 66.4% |
| Jerry Cheevers (R) | 4,787 | 33.6% |
District 38
*Incumbent
| Candidate | Total Votes | % Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Garrett Gobble (R) | 10,084 | 50.4% |
| Heather Matson (D) * | 9,927 | 49.6% |
District 42
*Incumbent
| Candidate | Total Votes | % Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Kristin Sunde (D) * | 10,102 | 56.1% |
| Aaron Sewell (R) | 7,896 | 43.9% |
District 43
*Incumbent
| Candidate | Total Votes | % Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Konfrst (D) * | 9,948 | 57.4% |
| Sonya Swan (R) | 7,375 | 42.6% |
District 44
100% Reporting
*Incumbent
| Candidate | Total Votes | % Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Kenan Judge (D) * | 15,244 | 53.1% |
| Dave Lorenzen (R) | 13,138 | 45.7% |
| Dave Stock (ND) | 346 | 1.2% |
Source: The Des Moines Register
We acknowledge the valiant efforts of Heather Matson, Aaron Sewell and Dave Stock this election season, and we congratulate Jennifer Konfrst and Bruce Hunter on their successful reelection efforts.
So, in terms of answering the “Now what?” question, a great place to start would be with Jennifer Konfrst and Bruce Hunter. Keep in touch with them, let them know what’s important to you, and hold them accountable for the plans and ideas they advocated during the forum surrounding racial justice and other important issues. (And since we can’t remember either, the entire forum is linked here.)
Please consider helping with a community need: Men’s shoes size 10-12.
Donate to Urban Dreams at 601 Forest Avenue in Des Moines.
Thank you to Matthew Bruce of Des Moines BLM for uplifting this need.
Thank you for reading!
Please stay in touch with us and reach out at any time to dsmsurj@gmail.com
Des Moines SURJ 