The 2020 Pella Wellness Consortium Community Common Reading Experience will focus on civility, respect, and understanding during what will be a tense lead up to the 2020 Presidential Election.

Kristi Leonard with Central College and the Pella Wellness Consortium says they are highlighting the need for civil discussion and political participation through the book “Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life.” She says it is a guide to personal and professional empowerment through civility and social skills, written by two White House Social Secretaries who offer an important fundamental message-everyone is important and everyone deserves to be treated well.

Pella Community Civility Conversation will be presented by The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center on Thursday, October 8th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Douwstra Auditorium. People around the country and here in Iowa are coming together in a grassroots initiative to revive civility and respect. Join this conversation where community members learn strategies to have civil interactions despite differences. Click here to register to attend in-person or over Zoom.

Hear more about the events on today and Tuesday’s Let’s Talk Pella.

The events as part of the Pella Wellness Consortium end this fall with a presentation by former NBA All-Star and Pella High graduate Kyle Korver, who returns to the community to take part in a Q&A session about his essay “Privileged,” which appeared in The Players’ Tribune in April 2019. This personal essay on white privilege garnered Korver national recognition and initiated a larger conversation around systematic racism and what it takes to become a true ally to others. That event will be live-streamed by Central College from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28th as part of the Geisler Penquite Educational Excellence Speakers Series at Central College.