{"id":38974,"date":"2024-10-16T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rop.org\/?post_type=update&p=38974"},"modified":"2024-10-20T17:56:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T00:56:45","slug":"18-counties-weigh-in-on-defending-democracy-in-rural-oregon","status":"publish","type":"update","link":"https:\/\/rop.org\/es\/update\/18-counties-weigh-in-on-defending-democracy-in-rural-oregon\/","title":{"rendered":"18 condados opinan sobre la defensa de la democracia en las zonas rurales de Oreg\u00f3n"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What comes after November 5th?<\/h3><\/div><\/div>
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We move forward, together! Register now to join ROP leaders from across the state for “Meeting the Moment: A Post-Election Gathering” on Thursday, Nov 7th, 6-7:30 pm PST \/ 7-8:30 pm MST. We’ll be holding space to process the election results, ground ourselves in movement history with Suzanne Pharr, Scot Nakagawa, and Mab Segrest, and make a plan for the weeks and months to come.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dear ROPnet,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ROP is led by rural Oregonians who volunteer their time to advance democracy in their communities. Over the last year, we have hosted 12 defend democracy Living Room Conversations (LRCs) with participants representing at least 18 counties to begin setting our direction for the next 30 years of ROP. More information about LRCs below. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eliot Feenstra, radio DJ for Cave Junction\u2019s community station and a community organizer based in Josephine County, recently interviewed Emma for his show \u201cBehind the Fence<\/a>\u201d about what these LRCs covered and where we\u2019re going next. Eliot had recently participated in a local LRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the interview, Eliot shared: \u201cI had been feeling overwhelmed about the news and the election,<\/strong> and sort of like, I\u2019m just going to focus on me and my life right now. That feels too big and doom and gloom. I couldn\u2019t find a place to locate myself in that conversation. […] One of the biggest things that happened in that [Living Room Conversation is that ROP] named some pillars of democracy [and] asked what we are already doing to protect democracy, and then doing some visualizations into the future, and I found I had so many more ideas and thoughts and there was a different quality to the conversation than me at home listening to the news.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to the interview here<\/a>, play it on your local station, or read on for a written summary of the LRCs from across the state!\u00a0Want to host a similar conversation in your community?<\/strong>\u00a0Reach out to your county organizer or email\u00a0sidra@rop.org<\/a>\u00a0for support setting an agenda and planning outreach!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warmly,
Sidra and the ROP Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are Living Room Conversations (LRCs) and why does\u00a0ROP\u00a0host them?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ROP is grounded in a community-building culture where food, children, and friendship circles are all a part of our social justice efforts. Relationships of trust are a priority, especially in this time of divisive politics where topics that people are less familiar with and thus less comfortable with are used to drive wedges through our communities.<\/strong> A core part of our work is talking about the most polarized issues of the day: why we need to be talking about race in our schools, why we need housing and addiction treatment more than criminalization of people on the margins, and why gender-affirming bathrooms save lives. Raising these topics has become harder and harder and more and more divisive. Human dignity groups play a critical role in making sure we find ways to have real conversations about the issues that impact our lives and the well-being of our communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establishing a culture of trust, though, is not that easy. Where and how we talk can matter. ROP recognizes that and has developed a culture around Living Room Conversations (LRCs) \u2013 that phrase is used even when the gathering happens in a space other than a living room. When our communities are facing such heightened polarization, and when we have real fear and security concerns over having an event or rally, getting together with a group of trusted neighbors in a living room to dig deeper into an issue and develop a shared perspective is more important than ever. What can be accomplished in a living room, when we have time to talk closely and honestly with each other, can not be achieved at a rally or an event, and it certainly can\u2019t be done in a Facebook comment thread.<\/strong> What an LRC symbolizes is important. It communicates that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n