Drake University receives Humanities Iowa grant in support of documentary and bilingual community dialogue project in Perry.

For Immediate Release: January 25, 2005

Drake University has received a grant award of $15,000 from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in support of a project called “A Little Salsa on the Prairie: The Changing Character of Perry, Iowa.” This funding will be supplemented by additional cash and in-kind contributions for a total project budget of ~$50,000.

This project will use humanities perspectives to document the changes in the character of Perry, Iowa, and facilitate community-wide civic engagement and bilingual dialogue between diverse residents. The project will include two components:

• a documentary film that incorporates humanities theory and approaches to summarize the history of Perry, particularly immigration and ethnicity over time (Part 1); portrays and investigates the changes in the economy, society, and physical environment including Latino immigration, focused on the recent past and present (Part 2); and documents the process and outcomes of a community-wide bi-lingual dialog process focused on improving communication and collaboration between diverse residents (Part 3).
• a community-wide dialog process sponsored by a Planning Committee in Perry including local government, faith community, business, schools, civic organizations, and humanities scholars/advisers. A representative sample of diverse Perry residents will be recruited to participate in small group dialog with trained facilitators to discuss issues of immigration, diversity, and community, followed by a community forum to share outcomes. Groups will be in English and Spanish, allowing residents to address positive attributes and shared values; problems and concerns; resources and services; and specific ideas and recommendations for improving communication, participation, and collaboration to build a shared vision of the future of Perry. Bilingual facilitators will help share the outcomes at the forum in order to facilitate communication, strengthen connections, and improve policies and practices to address identified issues and shared goals for the future building on the positive attributes of cultural diversity.

The project will take place in 2005, and additional funds will be raised for postproduction of the documentary in early 2006, to be aired later in 2006. The Study Circles Resource Center in Pomfret, CT will provide orientation and training of facilitators with a bilingual discussion guide, and the bilingual dialogue process will be evaluated and suggestions made of improvement for potential replication in other Iowa communities with major Latino populations.

The project director is Jody Swilky, a Professor of English at Drake, who is working with Kent Newman, a consultant and independent writer/producer of Full Spectrum Productions in Des Moines. The project will build upon Swilky’s years of fieldwork and interviews of citizens with contrasting perspectives on cultural change in Perry. The project is being developed and implemented under the auspices of a Planning Committee composed of representatives from Perry government, education, faith, business, and community organizations.

Interviews for the documentary will begin in March, and volunteer participants will be recruited for the bilingual discussion process, which will take place during summer and fall. The community forum will be held in late fall to present outcomes from the discussion groups and develop recommendations for action. In addition to the documentary, there will be a written report and a short summary program available for presentation in Iowa communities via Humanities Iowa.

For more information contact:

Jody Swilky, Department of English, Drake University
515-271-2853
jody.swilky@drake.edu

Kent Newman, Full Spectrum Productions
515-250-9459
fullspectrum@mchsi.com

Additional members of the planning committee:
• Father David Polich, Catholic Priest St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Perry
• Viivian Shirley Mayor Perry
• Bill Clark, President Hometown Perry Iowa Perry
• Sara Truesdell, Executive Director Chamber of Commerce Perry
• Randy McCaulley, Superintendent Public School District Perry
• Rosa Gonzalez I.S.U. Extension, Perry L.I.N.K. Perry
• Terry Carmichael, Community Liaison Tyson Foods Perry
• Melissa Dedios High School Senior Perry
• Jay Pattee, Owner, Ben Franklin Store City Council Member Perry
• Nancy Reincke, Ph.D. Associate Professor of English, Drake University Des Moines