Local Activism

This week our class traveled a whole five minutes in a very packed van to Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation. This organization located right in Decorah does so much in terms of activism. Everything from providing birth control, health services, housing, headstart, and transit services. The organization according to their website, "The Promise of Community Action Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other." This statement sums up activism in a lot of ways. It is changing society for the better by doing and by educating. The most important part that I learned from this visit was the importance of passion. It was clear that every person who worked at this organization was passionate about what they do for the community.

One of the things that struck me is how little I knew about the organization. I know that the Luther bubble exists and isolates Luther from Decorah community. Activism can do a lot in terms of community building. I think that a lot of the time activism is thought of as a very large scale and not something that just one person can do. However, this just proves that one person who has a passion can become not only an activist but can inspire others.

Seperating a Modern World

This week we spent two days looking at individuals and groups who have been marginalized. Between the two days there was a drastic difference in how the situations came about and how each group/person reacted. On Wednesday our class was fortunate enough to have Rev. Donna Simon come to our class and speak about Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM). This is a group of ELCA Lutheran ministers who are not rostered with the ELCA because of their sexual orientation. ELM is not trying to have their own sector of the ELCA or break away completely they are just offering an outlet for people who hear the call to minister a way to do that. Throughout her discussion with us Rev. Simon kept talking about ministering. Clearly, for those involved with ELM ministry is what they are called to do and this organization allows for them to minister. ELCA churches can call a pastor from this roster through a similar method of hiring a pastor from the traditional ELCA roster. ELM is not trying to make war with the ELCA they are taking a less aggressive stance waiting for the ELCA to come to them and/or change their own positions-which could happen as soon as August! So is the ELM an activist group? I think so. They are giving people who have been marganilized a voice and an outlet. People can minister as they were called to because of ELM. True, I think that as an organization I would like to see ELM do more but who am I to say? Being an activist involves doing something and it is clear that ELM is doing a lot of things! The other marginalized issue we looked at was LGBTQ communities, from the past, India, and in this terminologically connected world. The Van Dyke article really made me think. (And laugh I think the name Van Dyke is hilarious!) These womynn totally separated from men. They traveled in their vans across the United States and Mexico only talking to men when it was absolutly necessary. I think that these womynn were activists as well. They were unhappy with the status quo and they just took off and made their own community of Van Dykes. Are they activists? I am not so sure, they are doing something and changing something so I guess I have to say yes they are. However they are completely removing themselves from the issue. Which helps them but does it change it for everyone else? I am not sure, I see it both ways. It could inspire others to do the same but it doesn't really attack the actual problem in society. Also, doesn't their excluding men marginalize men?

This discussion made me think of my internship at Women Work. By the name of the organization it is clear who the target audience was. Not once did a man call nor was their the ever popular info sheet targeted toward men. Is women work a separatist organization? I don't think so. I think that the issues that women work focuses on are just issues that our society most common associates with women, going back to school, starting a career later, going back to work after having children or raising a family.

The other thing this week made me think of is the ELCA. My father was an ELCA pastor for many years. While I was young when all of this was happening and don't know all the details I know my dad struggled with getting hired from certain ELCA churches 15 years ago. It was because he was divorced. How in the world would this affect his ability to serve a church, I am unsure. I just know that for a long time he struggled because he wasn't the ideal candidate. Listening to Rev. Simon made me remember my dad's struggle. I think it is so interesting that churches have such an idealized idea of the way things should be, according to them. So in small Iowas communities how could a pastor do a good job if he didn't have a wife to help at potlucks or kids living with him to attend Sunday school. There is this idea that a pastor should be an example for everyone. Why can't a divorced man be that example, after all 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce. I think that ELM is truly an extraordinary organization that has been needed for many years in the ELCA. My dad ended up working as a Lutheran Chaplin in a nursing home and being absolutly amazing at his job.

Sex Work and Human Trafficing

This week we worked with a variety of issues that all had something to do with bodies. We started the week with finishing our discussion on AIDS which led right into looking at prostitution and global sex trafficking. It was fun to see every person's individual style come out leading each class. Through the entire week the themes that we have seen time and time again this semester kept coming up. Namely, education, choice, and human rights. It was interesting to learn how each of these issues intersect with each other and other social factors. For our final day looking at AIDS we were fortunate enough to be able to see a performance by Luther students. It was empowering to see how Luther students have become AIDS activists. I loved seeing the dance piece. It is one way that education is expressed. Talking to the dancers and there process of learning about AIDS then translating that into a dance piece about living with and understanding AIDS. We then started talking about sex workers. This took education to another level. I found myself thinking that education about sex workers and their rights need to be taught to a broader group of people. As we saw when drawing our pictures there are so many stereotypes of sex workers, most of which are changed through education. Sex work is a complicated issue, there is a delicate balance in people having the choice to work freely and safely or being abused and forced into the work. In each of these issues many factors play into both the AIDS epidemic and sex work. It is not just the one issue that needs to be addressed but larger social issues on a global scale. Through education like the dance piece at Luther this is gradually starting to change. I think everyone can learn from the dancers who learned about something then took that knowledge and shared it with others in away that they are most common. It is amazing to think about what would happen if everyone did just that, learning something then sharing it how the world could change.

The talk of sex work made me think of my j-term in Dubai. Dubai is an incredibly safe city with crime being nearly non-existent due to the fact that so many people are there on visas that will be taken away at a moments notice forcing the person to return to their homeland. The Dubai being in the United Arab Emirates and the low crime rate prostitution still is everywhere in Dubai. In the hotel we stayed at we could see prostitutes being picked up every night just a block away. We became fascinated by these sex workers watching how they picked up clients and walked the street. We spent many morning class discussions talking about these sex workers and how we did not expect them. Upon returning to the states a Frontline documentary was sent to me that discussed the Dubai prostitution issue. The website is: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/09/dubai_sex_for_s.html. The documentary talks about all the contradictions in Dubai. It is easy to find sex tourism in this Muslim country. 85% of the people living in Dubai are foreign born. Most people are guest workers, and men out number women 3 to 1. This example of Dubai shows just how many factors play into the sex trade. The economy of Dubai, the tourism, and the culture itself. These women are not what I expected, they really do show that there is much more to sex work than being forced into sex by a pimp. I love how this video talks to the women they get their own voice. It is another form of education.