Lafflam

When was the last time you chatted over dinner with your neighbors? Compared with 50 years ago, long work days, technology overload, and precious time for family and friends make it almost unheard of to take an evening to share a meal and opinions with neighbors.

Partnering with the Diversity Council and the Post-Bulletin, RNeighbors (the Rochester Neighborhood Resource Center) recently helped organize Table Talk. Table Talk is an opportunity for neighbors to gather around the dinner table, discussing a pre-determined topic.

On June 30, more than 50 participants gathered in four homes in Rochester neighborhoods and one in Oronoco. The dinner conversation focused on immigrants, a topic that has been receiving great local and national attention lately.

Many issues happening on a national and global scale can be felt right here at home, and immigration is one of them. Minnesota has the 17th-largest immigrant population, and that figure is on the rise. The 2000 Census found that in Olmsted County there are 9,758 (7.9 percent) foreign-born individuals.

The purpose of Table Talk was not to debate this highly charged issue, but to discuss what are the challenges and assets of immigrants already living as a part of our community.

There are often false perceptions surrounding immigrants that, once dialogue begins, can be more accurately understood.

“Public opinion polls show that many established residents feel that immigrants are not adapting and assimilating to American life quickly enough,” states the League of Minnesota Cities in its “Understanding Our Population Trends” report. “But the reality is that today’s immigrant families are learning English more quickly and are less likely to return to their country of origin than were the immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

As I visited many of the Table Talk events, I was pleasantly surprised at the open dialogue and atmosphere in each home. It was almost family-like. As many of us know, family gatherings are not always conflict-free. We all come from different paths in life and form different opinions on the world around us. But hopefully, we can listen to differing options, be open-minded and then share our own thoughts. To ensure respectfulness, each participant of Table Talk was asked to follow such guidelines and to not steer the conversation.

Participants had many positive responses to the evening’s dialogue:

“Thanks again and I hope this discussion continues to move our community toward always looking for ways to respectfully help each other with controversial subjects.” — Jonathan S.

“Thank you so much for organizing last night’s event. I had the pleasure of hosting the event at my house in Oronoco, and I thoroughly enjoyed both the people and the discussion.” — Matthew W.

“My guests were engaged, enthusiastic, and eager to learn from each other. Hosting a dinner was a positive experience that I hope can be repeated.” Vicki S.

“With the growing numbers of talents that we have yet to uncover, more events like this are great ways to open our eyes and become better neighborhoods!” — Dottie H.

As Rochester continues to grow, neighborhood challenges and problems will also continue. Many of our city neighborhood associations such as Slatterly Park, Cimarron Court, and Eastside Pioneers — just to name a few — are working together to reduce isolation, unify and make proactive decisions for their neighborhoods.

“The neighborhood is the fundamental organizing principle of human society, and practical efforts to save the planet start right there. Issues that seem overwhelming such as climate change, sprawl or economic injustice can be effectively tackled close to home,” wrote Jay Walljasper, in “The Great Neighborhood Book.”

“That’s because the people who live in a particular locale are the experts on that place, with the wisdom and commitment to get things done.”

RNeighbors is proud to have helped organize Table Talk as a tool to engage neighbors in a positive and constructive dialogue. Each of the Table Talk participants, hosts, and facilitators should be commended for jumping into a brand-new concept in Rochester.

It is my hope that each conversation will be the start of an ongoing positive dialogue throughout our city and beyond.

Rene Jones Lafflam is Executive Director of RNeighbors, the Rochester Neighborhood Resource Center.

[Previously published in the Rochester Post-Bulletin, July 11, 2009]