When we meet in the middle

By Lisa Sieren

Have you every heard the Diamond Rio song "Meet in the Middle?" The chorus says the following (be thankful you can’t hear me sing this):

"I’d start walking your way, you’d start walking mine
We’d meet in the middle, ‘neath that old Georgia pine
We’d gain a lot of ground, if we both give a little
There ain’t no road too long, when we meet in the middle."

Why am I highlighting a country song? Because I think the lyrics explain how great policy is developed and the importance of finding common ground.

This past weekend, President Barack Obama delivered a commencement address at the University of Notre Dame. In case you have not followed the story, there has been controversy surrounding his invitation to speak and receiving a university honor due to his position on a few issues. President Obama addressed the controversy directly in his speech. At one point he stated "…when we open our hearts and our minds to those who may not think like we do or believe what we do -- that's when we discover at least the possibility of common ground."

Finding common ground is a true balancing act, especially in the world of advocacy and public policy. But it is possible, when we are willing to sit together at a table and listen to the viewpoints of others. I think United Way does a great job of bringing people to the table; after all, it is in our mission statement.

United Way’s mission is "to improve lives by uniting the caring power of our community." I like to emphasize the uniting part, especially in advocacy work. As I look back over our accomplishments during the legislative session, there was a great deal of "uniting" that occurred by United Way partnering with a variety of organizations to reach our common goals. Examples include partnering with children’s advocates to protect Iowa Empowerment funding and with workforce development supporters to extend unemployment insurance benefits. Does this mean we agreed with our partners on every issue? Not necessarily. But we did find common ground on issues important to achieve our respective advocacy goals. How? We sat at the table and learned each other’s perspectives.

Next year for our Day on the Hill, maybe my colleagues will let me use Diamond Rio’s song as the theme song. Probably not, but I will keep their lyrics and President Obama’s words in mind as we work with our advocacy partners to achieve great policy that can improve the lives of Iowans.