That’s the question inspiring conversations at the Rural Assembly’s annual virtual gathering this month. Rural Assembly Everywhere, A Bigger Pie: Cultivating Abundance in a Time of Scarcity.
will bring together rural leaders, community members, artists, and allies to connect and explore ideas, opportunities, and challenges together. Registration is free and open to all for the event, which will be livestreamed on Thursday, September 17, from 1-2:30 p.m. EST.
“This year with Everywhere we are hoping to push back against the real fear that comes from the realities of scarcity and ask, ‘How can we do this better, together?’ To come together and pool our joy, frustration, anger, and collective rural ‘can do’ attitudes to get good work done. To figure out how to push back against the notion that if you succeed, I don’t,” said Rural Assembly Director Madeline Matson. “Because in small places, we know the biggest success is when we all get there together.”
New this year, Rural Assembly has partnered with organizations in four communities to host in-person events where participants will watch the live broadcast and discuss ideas for their own communities. Those events will be hosted by organizations in: Danville, Virginia; Granite Falls, Minnesota; Waynesburg, Pennsylvania; and the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Montana.
A handful of other communities will host watch parties. Registration for in-person events is available at www.ruralassembly.org/everywhere.
The Rural Assembly is part of the nonprofit Center for Rural Strategies, which also publishes the Daily Yonder.
About the Lineup
This year, the lineup will feature conversations and performances from a diverse mix of speakers and artists.
- Keynote conversation featuring award-winning author Natalie Baszile, interviewed by artist and business leader Carlton Turner. Baszile, author of “We Are Each Other’s Harvest” and “Queen Sugar,” will discuss the importance of Black landownership and agriculture, and how to embrace abundance even when up against a multi-generational legacy of discrimination and systemic lack of access to resources. She will be interviewed by Turner, the founder, co-director, and lead artist of the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Sipp Culture).
- “How Everywhere Can Be Home for All,” an interview and live chat with journalist Ray Suarez. Suarez will join Rural Assembly Fellows, Phillip Norman and Smmo Ozawa, in conversation about how immigration is reshaping rural communities across the country and how intergenerational interdependence is critical to the success of the United States as a whole. Suarez is the host of the new PBS television series, Wisdom Keepers, on air and online on PBS content services. He is the author of the recent book on the modern era of American immigration, “We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21st Century.”
- A panel discussion featuring a group of leaders based in rural Southwest Washington State who will discuss how respect, friendship, and constant collaboration can build abundance and community. They will discuss how they’ve been affected by scarcity mindsets and what strategies they use to work past them. See the panelist list.
- A reading from Birmingham, Alabama, Poet Laureate Salaam Green, from her new collection, “The Other Revival.”
- Music from Larry & Joe. Larry Bellorin and Joe Troop, of the Latingrass duo “Larry & Joe,” are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders.
Since its inception in 2007, the Rural Assembly has brought together voices from across the country, including government officials, grassroots organizers, funders, and nonprofit and business leaders.
It aims to amplify and empower rural people by sharing stories and challenging stereotypes. Previous online gatherings of the Rural Assembly have brought together hundreds of rural leaders, residents, and advocates since its first gathering in 2020.
“We can’t wait for this tidal wave of energy on September 17,” said Taneum Fotheringill, Rural Assembly director of programs and partnerships. “Gathering with rural people in person and online is going to send a message that we believe in showing up for our rural places.”
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