For many planning to celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, the fact that it's also the second inauguration of Donald Trump is a bitter pill to swallow.
But for a gathering on Sunday, sponsored by Not in Our Town Bloomington-Normal [NIOT], sharing that anxiety and resolving to stay involved were two major steps toward making things better — and even, to some extent, healing.
Dubbed a "listening circles event," the program at Heartland Community College, drew 40-50 people to share concerns and hopes on both a national and local level.
Along with NIOT, the event was sponsored by the NAACP-Bloomington-Normal Branch, YWCA of McLean County, Prairie Pride Coalition, the McLean County Museum of History and Heartland.
Participants were divided into several small groups to answer questions. Because of the frank conversation organizers hoped to foster, WGLT was not permitted to record the event, but a reporter was allowed to sit with one of the groups.
Division was a central concern, made worse by a lack of real communication. Sound bites, snippets and social media posts talk "at" someone, instead of "to" them, attendees said.
So was the notion of basic truth, falsehoods and right and wrong.
Kevin Jones, one of the organizers of the event, noted that we've become almost numb to politicians' lies and misbehavior.
"There was a time not too long ago, that would have been disqualifying, period," he said.
And that led to a concern at least one group listed near the top — the silence and inaction of people in the face of it all. And King's quote, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter," was a frequent citation.
Some also discussed economic concerns — both that policies being discussed on the national stage would hurt people of color, and that they simply might not work.
Some suggested Bloomington-Normal was insulated from some of the most dramatic concerns. Still, some were worried for their own safety and that of others such as immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community, saying they've received threats.
The crowd seemed to be overwhelmingly anti-Trump.
Mike Matejka co-chair of Not in Our Town and another of the event organizers, said he wasn't surprised, but pointed to the structure of the event: listening, rather than discussion or debate, as something that should appeal to any political viewpoint.
"The invitation is always there," he said.
Hope and action
Another part of the exercise centered around how to move forward. Mollie Ward, one of the facilitators and a Bloomington City Council member, said she was hopeful because of sessions like this, where community members showed up to listen.
Jones said he's used listening circles dating back to 2020 to help people process the pandemic. "Healing actually takes place when people can listen to you with empathy and not judgement," he said.
The other ingredient for hope and healing? Stay engaged. Don't let the silence of others prevent your from taking part, group members said, noting if you're not active — attending events and participating on boards — your voice won't be heard.
"I don't think we have the luxury of complacency. I think we have an obligation to our fellow human beings to not be complacent," Ward said.
Camille Taylor, a retired teacher and Not in Our Town member, played down any irony with Trump's inauguration and King's celebration coinciding.
"It's just an inspiration that his work is needed more now than ever," she said.
