Pt. 2 of LWV’s immigration series Sept. 12

On Sept. 12 the Wayne County League of Women Voters will hold part two of its three-part civil discourse series on the topic of immigration at 7 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 353 E. Pine St., Wooster.

The LWV is a nonpartisan organization with the mission of both empowering voters and defending democracy. Mary Sue Kaliszewski is the program chair for the organization.

“We work to encourage active and informed participation of local citizens; increase the understanding of major public policy issues; influence public policy through education and advocacy; foster civil dialogue about important community issues; and engage voters through voter registration events, candidate forums and voter education,” Kaliszewski said.

The league chose to present the topic of immigration after studying civil discourse skills within its membership and deciding to share an awareness of the principles with the community.

“We chose immigration as a vehicle to practice civil discourse because it is a topic of national importance,” Kaliszewski said. “It has relevance to our local community and is a multi-faceted topic that touches people we know and care about, including family, friends and neighbors.”

Part one of the immigration series, Becoming an American, was presented in March. Part two will be a debate on the topic, Justice Requires Open Borders for Human Immigration.

The event evolved as a debate in order to show how individuals can have a productive conversation about a topic that may elicit emotional and conflicting opinions. Kaliszewski explained that in order to have civil discourse, individuals need to be familiar with the facts of an issue, be willing to listen to different points of view, respectfully discuss differing opinions and identify common ground from which a solution can be built.

In order to present a debate, the league turned to the Wooster High School debate team.

“Lincoln Douglas Debate Team members Megan Kleinhenz, Addy Gerbick and Nathan Byrne graciously agreed to be our guest speakers to discuss how they research their debate topics; how they prepare to debate all sides of a topic, even ones they may not personally agree with; and give a demonstration of one of their debates,” Kaliszewski said.

Justice Requires Open Borders for Human Immigration was one of the topics from the 2022-23 debate season.

Part three of the series, date and location still to be determined, will be small group discussions on selected immigration topics. There will be no guest speakers as community members will be invited to put civil discourse into practice to discuss immigration.

It is hoped the series will produce insight from the community on immigration issues that will be shared with state politicians.

Everyone interested in immigration and in having conversations to find common ground within differing perspectives is encouraged to attend. The league invites the community to come together to learn about ways to research facts, respectfully learn from each other and move forward toward common goals.

At the event parking is available in the two lots directly across Pine Street from the church, along Pine and College streets adjacent to the church, one block north of the church on University Street in front of Taylor Hall, across the street from Freedlander Theatre, and in the lot behind Taylor Hall off Bever Street.

Membership in the league is open to individuals age 16 and older. The League of Women Voters believes in a community of respectful engagement for people of all backgrounds, generations, cultures and political beliefs. Visit www.lwvwaynecounty.org.