The Warren County GOP held a town hall meeting Thursday evening, to discuss the City of Indianola’s support of the 21 Day Equity Challenge, moderated by Tamara Scott with a presentation by author Dr. Stephen Kirby.

The 21-Day Equity Challenge is self-described as a free program designed to educate participants on a variety of subjects, including race, religion, gender, LGBTQ issues, housing, income inequality and issues of bias.

Dr. Kirby sent a report to the city titled “The 21 Day Equity Challenge and the White Privilege Conference” which claims the program has anti-White bias, and that systemic racism does not exist in the USA.

“It’s purpose is to not recognize progress. Its purpose is to claim there is systemic racism without ever having to prove it. The mere fact that you claim systemic racism, and as we saw looking at the definitions, if a white person denies the systemic racism, they are exhibiting their white fragility and denying that white supremacism.”

City Manager Ryan Waller tells KNIA News in the fall of 2020 the city participated in the United Way of Central Iowa’s 21 Day Equity Challenge, a free training opportunity that covered topics including disabilities, race, religion, gender, housing, and income among others. Waller said the training from the program helps him and other city officials be better at serving all Indianola residents.

“Something like this is very important to us. Without it organizations like ours would be ill-equipped and unsuccessful in cultivating a culture that will sustain a stable and empathetic workforce. A recent example is with our square reconstruction project. We had a resident who has a family member that is wheelchair bound, that is concerned with the width of the fencing that is placed up on the sidewalks.

We spent some time talking with her, and really programs like this helps us to stop, pause, and really listen and be empathic and understand the perspective that they are sharing with us. For me, as someone who is not wheelchair bound, while I’m walking through what I perceive as a passable area, to them there is a corner where it’s sidewalk and grass where someone in a wheelchair cannot easily pass that area. Understanding that perspective allowed us to then work with our contractors to make that much more passable and convenient for the person that is wheelchair bound.”

Email invitations including a list of questions were sent out from the Warren County GOP to all six Indianola City Council members, Mayor Pam Pepper, and Indianola City Manager Ryan Waller, to participate in the event, all of whom declined. City Council member Greta Southall replied to the invitation:

Dear WCRCC,

Affirming the humanity of all people is not a zero-sum game. We do not diminish our own humanity when we honor and value others whose lives may differ from our own. Rather, we grow as individuals, and as a community, when seek to truly know one another.

I, for one, am proud that our city works to foster respect for and understanding of all people, no matter their circumstances, beliefs, backgrounds, or abilities. I hope we continue in our efforts to make Indianola a safe, welcoming place to live and work for everyone by acknowledging and removing roadblocks to equity.

I do not have any interest in participating in your town hall.