Our Mission:

To welcome and protect the life, dignity, and human rights of all people in all places in our community.

Who we are:

One Human Family QCA (Quad Cities Area) is a community-based organization including but not limited to faith leaders, civic leaders, educators, and proud Quad Citians who care deeply about addressing issues of discrimination, hatred, and injustice in our communities. Each of us has a unique story, history, and purpose for contributing in our joint efforts. Some of us have witnessed vulnerable people being hurt, while others of us have been hurt ourselves. Every person embodies a dignified and valid collective of intersecting identities involving gender, race, ethnicity, class, education level, age, sexual orientation, religiosity, and physicality. The oneness of One Human Family QCA is found in creating space to embrace our fullest selves.

We recognize that some of these identities have historically carried more institutional power than others, and because of that, many of us are granted different degrees of societal privilege that can help or hinder our work together. We acknowledge the complexities of navigating these dynamics in our community. Among them are the wounds caused by a long cultural history of both conscious and unconscious white supremacy, patirarchy, and bigotry that has excluded others from the table and silenced their voices. We also face today's temptation to only ally with those who perfectly match our ideological and political affiliations. We own our complicity in these challenges and commit ourselves to seeking justice, equity, and reconciliation. When we make mistakes, we want to reflect and learn from them so we can change and do better.

The focus of our organization, like the variety of need in our community, is not limited to any specific demographic. If any one group of us is affected by hatred, discrimination, or tragedy, we are all affected together. We value the diversity of the Quad Cities, and One Human Family QCA is strengthened when that diversity is represented in our membership and leadership. It is only by standing in mutual respect and solidarity that we can create true and lasting change in our community.

We welcome all who share in our goals for a safer, more inclusive world to join us in our work.

Convener Rev. Rich Hendricks
richdhendricks@msn.com

What we do:

In order to fulfill our Mission Statement, we have established 4 Task Forces:

Each of these task forces has been busy planning and executing plans that address their particular focus. Among their achievements are such actions as:

Community Awareness and Education Task Force
They have designed and are distributing "Welcoming Neighborhoods" yard signs.
Lawn sign that welcomes neighbors in Spanish, English, and Arabic
They have framed a community resolution which will be presented for consideration and, hopefully, passed on to various governmental and civic bodies.
They have hosted, and are planning to host in the future, community "OUCH! That Stereotype Hurts: Communicating Respectfully in a Diverse World" training sessions.
They have arranged with various community groups for us to make presentations consisting of goals and work, encouraging others to join in our efforts.
Data Collection and Resource Development Task Force
They have designed a Hate Incident Report Form and have been compiling a collection of such reported incidents.
They are in the process of compiling a list of various community resources to which victims can turn for help and support.
Immigration Task Force
They have put together an impressive collection of resource materials to be distributed to those immigrant individuals and families who might be targeted by the government for deportation. These materials advise them on how to deal with complex issues they may need to address and provide several resources to which they can turn for assistance.
School Advocacy and Support
They are reaching out to the various community school districts in order to enter into productive dialogue about the growing problem of hate incidents faced by the students who are members of targeted groups, and how we can partner with their districts in addressing these problems.
They are presenting to school districts a model program of school based Diversity Clubs, first introduced in the Bettendorf Middle School and created by concerned students in that school. It is hoped that this model can be replicated in schools throughout the Quad Cities.

Aside from the work of the individual Task Forces, as a whole, our group has publicly responded to acts of hatred that have taken place around the bi-state area, such as when threats were directed against the Islamic Center in Des Moines.

OHFQCA is also planning a series of events on the theme of "Violence Isn't the Answer".