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IAC Supports Community Dialogue Project in Perry
A Drake University English professor’s new project aims to create improved communication and collaborations among the ever-growing diverse population of Perry.
A Little Salsa on the Prairie: The Changing Character of Perry, Iowa is a documentary that will examine the history of Perry’s immigration and ethnicity and the changes in the town’s economy and physical environment. The project will document the process and outcomes of the community-wide, bilingual dialogue among residents.
The documentary builds upon Project Director Jody Swilky’s years of fieldwork and interviews of citizens with contrasting perspectives on cultural change in Perry. Those she has interviewed revealed their struggle to find a new life in a foreign culture.
“Thus far, the interviews have revealed the differences in how Anglos and Latinos responded to becoming part of a place that, through the interaction of these groups during the 1990s, was transformed from a basically homogenous culture to a more culturally diverse community,” Swilky said. “While it wasn’t surprising to hear how individuals from these different ethnic groups struggled with language barriers, differences in cultural norms, and concerns about the future of the community, it was enlightening to hear how individual interviewees coped with, and addressed, the challenges of assimilation, alienation, acceptance of others, and the inevitability of change in their community.”
The project recently received $6,900 from the Iowa Arts Council toward its $105,000 budget goal. With the help of individual contributors, Humanities Iowa and the Bock Family Foundation, A Little Salsa on the Prairie still needs $27,000 to reach completion. Swilky is currently seeking more funding for the project, scheduled for completion in July 2006.
A community-wide dialog process sponsored by a planning committee in Perry including representatives of local government, the faith community, businesses, schools, civic organizations and humanities scholars/advisers will begin in September. A representative sample of diverse Perry residents will be recruited to participate in the bilingual groups to address shared values, problems and concerns, resources, and recommendations for improving communication, participation and collaboration among residents.
“In 1990, Perry was less than 1 percent Latino,” Swilky said. “By 2000, the population was about 25 percent Latin, and recent estimates indicate that, at the present time, over 30 percent of Perry’s population is Latino. The community has been very receptive (to this project)—the planning committee is composed of key representatives from the City of Perry. People have been very willing to meet and talk with us, to share their knowledge and perspectives, and to participate in interviews.”
Swilky is working with Kent Newman, a consultant and independent writer/producer of Full Spectrum Productions in Des Moines. Production will continue through 2005 to capture the bilingual dialogue process, the community forum in November, the recommendations and the outcomes. Final postproduction will begin in early 2006. In addition to the documentary, which Swilky hopes will be aired on Iowa Public Television, there will be a written report and a short summary program available for presentation in Iowa communities via Humanities Iowa.
