Author Archive for Clare Howard

Clare Howard is the editor of the Community Word. She can be reached at communityword@yahoo.com

Editorial | Rabbi calls for justice for Palestine

S.A. Shepler (c) 2019 Community Word

Rabbi Brant Rosen is a scholar who has patience, empathy and courage in his activism for Palestinian people and social justice. He proves it is possible to love Israel and the Jewish faith and protest human rights violations in Gaza.…

Save the Black farmer

Dwayne Harris

First light on a July morning hints at the heat and humidity to follow, but Dwayne Harris has a joyful heart as he lugs around heavy hoses and waters 100 raised vegetable beds at 5 a.m. Harris has a goal…

Earthdance: Peace, social responsibility, environmental justice

Sherrie Campbell

Sherrie Campbell uses her body to communicate, heal, nurture and inspire. The former principal dancer with Peoria Ballet says her deep connection with the environment and dance has helped her navigate rough periods in life and infuses her with healing…

Voting in jail reduces recidivism

Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell said voting helps jail detainees feel connected and responsible for their communities. It also reduces recidivism rates. To facilitate voting, there are modular kiosks in hallways in the Peoria County Jail with instructions about voting…

War on plastic — from guns to plow shares

Hemp

Luke Haverhals likes to carefully calibrate his aim at problems – avoiding the distractions of little problems and keeping his focus on the big ones. Those, he contends, are petroleum and plastic. “Agriculture at its worst is still better than…

Editorial | “Your Loyalties Are Your Life”

S.A. Shepler (c) 2019 Community Word

That was the headline on a recent New York Times opinion column written by David Brooks. While nothing was mentioned in the column about unions, hedge funds or newspapers, the column speaks loudly to the Peoria community, our daily newspaper…

Love your Valentine and love the planet

Kira Santiago

Kira Santiago understands the complexities of expressing love on Valentine’s Day. She wants to remind people that when thinking about love, extend thoughts to local, sustainable and organic. Organic matters for flowers as well as food! Santiago is an organic…

Untold stories from government shutdown

While furloughed federal employees are assured they will get back pay following the government’s temporary shutdown, contract workers have no such assurances. There are about 35 independent contract workers at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria. Requesting…

Editorial | Diversity in Congress

S.A. Shepler (c) Community Word 2019

Here’s a tally of the number of women in the U.S. House. In 1989: 16 were Democrats; 13 were Republicans In 2019: 89 are Democrats; 13 are Republicans Why is that of any significance? Because diversity matters. History has proven…