Collaborative conversations touch divisive topics in Salisbury

SALISBURY — This past Sunday, July 20, the Congregational Church of Salisbury hosted its second “Conversations of Consequence” talk, this time focused on the topic “who is my neighbor?”

These talks, facilitated by Pastor John Nelson, are structured around four invited speakers, who offer anecdotes from their own experiences and then ask prompts for the audience to discuss amongst themselves. These talks are hosted to share stores and create informed dialogue between both old friends and strangers.

Sunday’s session featured a mix of local leaders: Jill Drew from Vecinos Seguros 2, Peter Halle from the Salisbury Housing Committee, Ellie Youngbloud from Sky High Farm and Will Conklin from Greenagers.

Drew spoke on her motivations for founding Vecinos Seguros 2 after her retirement from journalism and the recent election, designed to help vulnerable communities who are at risk of being detained by immigration authorities.

She emphasized the need to work together as a community and the state of “interbeing,” or the idea that nobody is a lone individual but instead interconnected. She asked her audience to consider the question of how to accept people who you don’t agree with morally, admitting freely that it can be hard.

The Salisbury Housing Committee creates affordable housing units up for rent. Halle talked about the extensive interview process required to find a spot and the struggle to secure enough funding to build housing for a waitlist of a hundred families. He asked the audience to ponder whether it was more important to create housing for local households in need or for families from other areas.

Sky High Farm is located in Falls Village and donates its produce to local food access programs. Youngbloud explained that food banks are larger and store items, while food pantries serve local areas and must purchase items from food banks, which often run out of necessities like rice or beans. Partnerships like this both help food banks get what produce they need, and also guarantee a sale for the farmer.

During her talk, Youngbloud discouraged assumptions about food pantry customers, and spoke of the hardships that unseen members of the local communities might face. She wanted to break down the barrier between the “helper” and the “helped” and instead come together. She asked the audience to consider, “What are the community spaces that you are in, and who’s excluded from that community?”

Conklin’s work at Greenagers in South Egremont, Massachusetts, is mainly aimed at engaging young people in meaningful community growth and fostering connections.

He asked the audience to consider, “What are community spaces we have, what community spaces have we lost, and what spaces do we want to build?”

These talks are intended to start conversations and welcome anyone who is interested in participating. The third Conversations of Consequence will take place in the fall.