Ashley Dixon didnt see a lot of community activism as she grew up in Parsons. But while she attended colleges in New York and Nashville, Dixon involved herself in numerous causes: Diversity training, workers rights, immigration and anti-racism efforts.
Now, as an Iola resident and a campaign director with Kansas Appleseed, Dixon wants to bring the skills she learned as a community organizer to southeast Kansas. Over the next three years, shell be working with counties throughout the region to register voters and reduce food insecurity.
Growing up, I didnt see people around me who were organizing and I thought it would be great to bring that back here, Dixon said. Theres so much power when people come together.
DIXON moved to Iola Feb. 1. Kansas Appleseed established an office for her at Thrive Allen County. Though the two organizations may coordinate their efforts on projects, they arent directly related.