Grassroots effort can bridge divide in rural Iowa

Believe it or not, there are still places where people of opposing views come together. It might be at a ball game, in our neighborhood, in our local service club or at church. It’s our job as Americans to defend our democracy by making sure everyone feels safe to speak our minds wherever we are.

But we’re afraid these days. Democrats fear Republicans with guns and bad tempers dismantling a government that took centuries to build. Republicans fear Democrats want to destroy opportunities for regular folks just trying to get by. The list goes on.

Federal law changed 30 years ago to allow mass media to run only one perspective instead of being fair to at least two sides. That caused the explosive growth of the news entertainment company Fox News. It was the beginning of the end of hearing each other.

Then we piled on. We demanded that public schools teach to the test instead of grow freethinking citizens, our wages didn’t keep up with the cost of living, the gig economy took the place of a career.

Indivisible was created during President Donald Trump’s first administration to bring people together after a campaign that intentionally had us pointing at each other instead of the real causes of our pain. Indivisible isn’t seeking out the far right or the far left, despite the rhetoric around it. We are home for people concerned about things like well-funded public education, reliable health care, decent wages and clean water.

And don’t we all want to hear solutions that will make life better for most of us?

That’s why your rural neighbors in more than a half dozen Indivisible chapters are hosting an Eastern Iowa Rural Revival and Candidate Forum Sept. 28, 2025 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Cedar County Fairgrounds. We’ve invited all candidates from both parties. Candidates from either party who don’t show up get an empty chair with their name on it. No stump speeches, only answers to your questions. Arrive at 1 p.m. or stay til 5 p.m. to meet individually with candidates. We will have security in place and will demand civility. No one need be afraid.

We encourage candidates who want to lead our great nation and state to find the courage to stand up in front of hundreds of Iowans, not just handpicked ones, and listen to what’s bothering us. We rural folks in Eastern Iowa are not just the space between the cities.

When we think of ourselves as Americans first, we can put aside fear and mistrust. Give it a shot. Sign up at mobilize.us today. Your reservation guarantees you a seat and the chance to ask a question.

Suzan Erem is one of six leaders in 82nd Indivisible and convener of the coalition organizing the revival. She farms high value specialty crops at Draco Hill Nature Farm in Cedar County.