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Articles by Chris Brazelton
Civil war is an oxymoron
Note: This column is a reprise of a column that was originally published on May 23, 2025. Since then, there are even more military conflicts around the world. With another Veterans Day approaching, I wondered about what we tell those who agree to risk their lives at the behest of our government in service to our country. What is it that our neighbors and friends are being asked to sacrifice their lives for? We tell ourselves that they are fighting for our freedom.
On Welcoming: Kindness
Now that our children have returned to school, backpacks full of notebooks, pens, pencils, and other items from the list provided by the school, it is lesson time. One set of lessons started several years ago during the initial COVID outbreak. Steve Hartman, a journalist from CBS News, started an online series of lessons for children called Kindness 101. Those lessons are available on YouTube and are intended for children. Topics include courage, empathy, character, and many others.
On Welcoming: Legacy
Most of us would agree that our children’s first and most impactful learning happens in the home. Parents pass along their values and beliefs, their skills and their talents, and what it means to be a human in this world. Often, this works well and children grow up well-adjusted and ready to go out into the world and pass along what they have learned. They find meaningful work and raise their own families, repeating the cycle.
On Welcoming: A senior’s quest for a home
A local resident discovered that the Delano Housing Initiative has been working to create more affordable housing options in the Delano area. Barb told her story: My husband and I moved to Delano in 1984. We raised our children here, became involved in the schools, our church, and other community activities. We thought that this was our forever place to be. We had already retired. We had our eyes on the townhouse developments and thought that that is where we would eventually live out our days.
On Welcoming: Live beyond our fear
Some people in the past few years have expressed a lot of concern about whether transgender athletes are allowed to play on sports teams of girls and women. They often say they are afraid that transgender girls and women, people they insist are boys and men, will injure the girls and women or have an unfair advantage. As a former athlete, I often lost to athletes who were bigger, stronger, more powerful, and better at the sport than I was. It was a fact of life.
On Welcoming: Welcome, humans
With the ongoing discussions about immigration and birthright citizenship, it got me thinking about whether and to what degree we are welcoming the stranger, as Jesus commanded according to what I was taught in the Catholic schools I attended, and as I continue to hear in my current church on a regular basis. Who gets to decide which humans are allowed to be here? I guess it may depend on where ‘here’ is.
On Welcoming: Perspective is important
I grew up reading the “Little House on the Prairie” series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and later watched and enjoyed the television series. As a child reading the books, I related to the innocent perspective of the lead character, Laura. I didn’t always get along with my sisters. I went to school at St Peter’s in Mendota, across the river from Fort Snelling and up the hill from the Sibley Tea House.
On Welcoming: Try smiling
What happens in the petri dish of human relationships? What do we get when we feed our world snarkiness, negativity, hostility, and violence? Do we generate more of the same? We see or read about so many instances of conflicts being settled at gunpoint, regardless of who is hit in the crossfire. Frustration with a concept or a group of people is addressed with mass shootings of random men, women, and children. We used to be shocked by this.
On Welcoming: Welcome women, welcome all
Emmy award-winning journalist and author Norah O’Donnell, along with co-author Kate Andersen Brower, recently released a book titled “We the Women: The Hidden Heroes who shaped America.” It is a fascinating look at the women who shaped the history of these United States of America, but whose stories have been all but forgotten by those mostly white men allowed to write the history books.
On Welcoming: Giving of ourselves
What do baby clothes, seeds, zucchini, books, and casseroles have in common? They are just a few of the many things that people give to one another when someone needs them or when we have a surplus. They are part of what is known as the gift economy. We can look to nature to see how gifts are shared by humans as well as other inhabitants of the Earth. A plant grows berries. A bird eats the berries. The bird flies away and leaves the seeds of the berries in a new location, and new plants grow.
On Welcoming: Small world
I moved to Delano from the Twin Cities in 2001. I learned quickly that many of the residents at the time were related to each other and descendants of the original families of Delano. Having previously attended a small school in a close-knit community, I had already learned not to speak ill of anyone, because you never know if the person you are speaking to is related to the person you’re speaking about. Family legacy is strong here, as happens in most smaller towns.
On Welcoming: Fresh perspective
Many of us watched over the past two weeks the preparation and execution of the Artemis II mission as four astronauts launched into space, circled the backside of the moon, and safely returned to Earth. Speaking from the Orion spacecraft, astronaut Victor Glover described Earth as a unique oasis in the vast emptiness of space, urging people to appreciate the planet and each other.
On Welcoming: Bad robot
Those of us who write this column do so to improve human relationships and help our community be more welcoming. I have been taken aback by several mean-spirited posts on Facebook lately. A friend pointed out that some of those posts appear to come from anonymous users, or users with a name but only a shell of an online profile. Many of these posts might not be coming from human beings at all, but from computer programs known as bots.
On Welcoming: Hometown
When I moved to Delano in 2001, I only knew a couple of people. Since then, I have joined a few community organizations, including the women’s club, a bowling league, a church, and others. I now cannot go to the grocery store, restaurant, library, or for a walk around town without running into the smiling, friendly faces of people I have come to know.
On Welcoming: Left out
For years, left-handedness was considered a defect. In Britain in the Middle Ages, people whose left hand was predominant were even accused of witchcraft! Some religions, including Christianity and Islam, connected the left with the devil and required conformity to right-handedness. The word “sinister” comes from the Latin word for left. Many languages still use left-handed references to convey awkwardness, dishonesty, stupidity, or other undesirable qualities.
On Welcoming: Monsters in the park
In 2002, I was laid off from my job as an advocate in a domestic violence prevention program when the grant that funded my position ran out. Grants and other private donations were being redirected to the 9/11 relief fund to help families devastated by the deaths connected to the horrific acts of terrorism.
Letter to the Editor: Requiem for Corporal Willy Shaw
Last week, I wrote about mental health issues and suicide among women who had served in the military. Ten years ago, the death by suicide of veterans of war hit closer to home. Ten years ago, I learned that the son of a friend of mine had taken his life, right here in Delano. His name was Willy Shaw. Willy’s parents, Stephanie and Dave, were divorced. Stephanie later married Jeff Etzel. Jeff’s father, Lawrence, served in World War II.
On Welcoming: Mental health needs of veterans
Last week, we offered a “salute to our women veterans.” This week, we’ll go deeper into the topic. Women experience much of the same trauma as men when fighting a war, and many have an additional struggle – dealing with sexual harassment from the men they serve under or alongside.
On Welcoming: Salute to our women veterans
In recent years, we have dedicated this column at this time of year to our veterans, reaching back and writing about various times and events in our history, including the treatment of veterans returning from the “conflict” in Vietnam, which was never officially declared a war. Still, we’re sure it felt like a war to those who served there.
On Welcoming: Online culture wars
I saw an article that appeared in the New York Times Oct. 12, 2025, referring to some pretty horrible online practices of using social media to intimidate and silence others. It referred to the trend as culture wars. A mayor of a small town in Texas was called and harassed in person, by mail, and online about his conservative values and policies. It became so bad that he dropped out of politics altogether.
On Welcoming: The gift of forgiveness
It has been said that holding a grudge, holding on to hate, is like drinking poison and hoping the other person gets sick. We suffer when we hold onto a grudge. The target of our anger is often unaware of the wrong that they did or that we perceive. During the recent memorial service for conservative leader Charlie Kirk, his grieving wife said, “ . . . That man. That young man. I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did in his . . . What Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate.
On Welcoming: Grace under fire
It seems that every week, the news comes to us of yet another shooting. Whether it happens on a downtown street, in a residential neighborhood, elementary school or college campus, during a church service, or at a political event, violence seems to have become the norm. Peoples’ responses range from outrage and horror to numb helplessness. Violent events cause initial shock, followed by seemingly endless discussions about how and why they could happen and what to do to prevent recurrences.
On Welcoming: I don’t know what it’s like
I recently heard a well-known national figure say that empathy is a weakness. This person has a condition known as Asperger’s Syndrome, on the high-functioning end of the Autism Spectrum. I worked for many years in children’s mental health and provided services to clients with various conditions. One of those conditions included Asperger’s. One of the features of this condition is a lack of empathy, or the inability to put oneself in another person’s shoes.
On Welcoming: What kind of person . . . ?
What kind of person makes themselves look bigger by targeting a “smaller” person and harassing them, bullying them into humiliation? What kind of person stands by, doing nothing, while another human being is being bullied into submission? When I was young, and movies were in black and white, we used to cheer for the underdog to overcome the bully. We got our hackles up when the bad guy seemed to triumph in their evil, and cheered when goodness prevailed by the end of the film.
On Welcoming: Creation stories
I have traveled to many different countries and continents, and I do a lot of reading. I am fascinated by the creation stories of various cultures. I just started reading the book, “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She tells a creation story of her ancestors, the Potawatomi people, that begins with Skywoman falling to a planet covered by water. Her descent is noticed by geese who come together to give her a soft landing.
On Welcoming: A life that exemplified welcoming
Delano lost a kind and warm friend July 19, a person whose life exemplified openness and “welcoming.” Friends and family celebrated the life of Shawne Michael Worley Aug. 2. Through gentleness and humor, Shawne touched many lives. I first met Shawne through his work on “culturally responsive” dinners hosted at various locations in the area over the last half-dozen years.
On Welcoming: What are we willing to do?
In 1962, the city of Cairo, IL, would not allow black citizens to swim in the public pool, eat in the local restaurants, bowl at the local bowling alley, or engage in other public activities that their white co-citizens engaged in. This wasn’t just in Cairo. These were the days of Jim Crow laws that forced racial segregation in public spaces.
On Welcoming: Happy birthday, USA!
As we approach our annual celebration of the birth of this country, it is notable to look at how the United States of America was born. Millions of indigenous people had inhabited the Americas for thousands of years, living on and with the land. Land was sacred, and there was no concept of ownership. However, the various separate tribal groups did lay claim to territory for summer and winter encampments, as well as hunting, foraging, and fishing territory. Some were agrarian and planted crops.
On Welcoming: The Welcome Wagon
I recently watched the movie “Avatar” for the second time. The fictional indigenous people are known as the Na’vi. A warm greeting is the phrase, “I see you,” meaning more than just a simple hello. It means seeing the heart, or perhaps even the soul, of a person with understanding and respect. A lesson I learned long ago is that one of the greatest gifts we can give one another is understanding them.
On Welcoming: Graduation and life lessons
As we enter the graduation season, the next generation of business leaders, healthcare professionals, builders, caregivers, lawyers, public servants, first responders, school teachers, and parents are launched into the world. Some graduates are leaving high school, while others are moving on from trade schools, colleges, and universities. The teachers who guided these young people are not always found in a typical classroom.
On Welcoming: Uncivilized war in our world
As Memorial Day approaches, I have spent some time considering those we honor this coming weekend and the reasons they were taken from us too soon. “Group A” invades the territory of “Group B,” not recognizing the rights of the people of Group B to exist as a separate people, a separate nation. Who are these groups? They could be any since mankind first populated this Earth in significant numbers. One group has resources that the other group wants, perhaps needs, or thinks they need.
On Welcoming: A warmer welcome
We discussed the need for affordable housing for people of modest means a year and a half ago. Since then, the lack of options has only gotten worse. The cost of lumber and other raw materials for construction has gone up, leading to even higher prices for new homes. The increased competition for smaller, older homes has also resulted in higher prices.
On Welcoming: Consuming media wisely
More years ago than I would care to count, I was in an eighth-grade class, and our lesson was on television ads. We were given a list of types of ad campaigns and were assigned to watch an hour of television and report on the ads and what kind of messaging was used in each of them. As I recall, some categories were: Bandwagon effect (they tell you how many others like or purchase this product, so that you will want to be one of the many).
Letter to the Editor: Teacher Appreciation Week
Thank you, teachers! Teachers Appreciation Week is coming up, and I wanted to offer my gratitude. Thank you for sparking dreams in our students. Thank you for putting in the extra effort for the students who are struggling to understand the lessons. Thank you for noticing the student who is isolated, perhaps ostracized, and helping them feel included and welcomed.
It seems that the word diversity is in the news a lot lately. The word is appearing in directives to schools, government institutions, and places of business, not as something to be desired as a goal, but something to be avoided. Some institutions are even being punished for supporting diversity. Some hear “diversity” and assume it means non-white individuals and groups.
On Welcoming: Welcome to home
As a member of the Delano Area Chamber of Commerce, I have had the opportunity to tour the facilities of several local manufacturers. More than one business has said that they have a hard time filling some of the more entry-level positions because prospective employees cannot afford to live in the area, and they don’t want long commutes for entry-level wages. One of those employers said, “Having opportunities for employees to live close to where they work is desirable for us and our employees.
My Path to a New Life
Warning: this essay includes stories of abuse One of my earliest memories is of me sitting in the back of our family’s Buick Skylark on our way to the hospital. Dad was driving, Mom was in the passenger seat. I was about four, sitting in the middle. My oldest sister was to my left, holding a washcloth to her head to staunch the bleeding. My second-oldest sister was to my right.
Letter to the Editor: Rules to live by for peace
It seems that every major religion in the world has a document revealing a history of figuring out the rules to live by in order for humans to get along peacefully. Whether it is the Bible, Torah, Quran, or one of many other such groupings of writings, those rules have evolved over time from what was good for the leaders (slavery, for example) to what was good for all of humanity. Religions seek to guide us to be closer to God.
On Welcoming: Ancestral pride in hertiage
My paternal grandparents were born in the United States. Their parents immigrated here from what is now Poland but was called Prussia back then. They were very proud of their heritage and actively promoted it within their community of northeast Minneapolis. Members of the Polish White Eagle and Polanie clubs, they were also active in the Knights of Columbus and supported their local Polish Catholic church.
On Welcoming: Viva la difference
I finally got around to watching the Barbie movie. At first glance the Barbies were pretty much alike but with different wardrobes and careers. Look closer and you find that even Barbies were different. As a child growing up in the suburbs in a Catholic family and attending Catholic schools, the people around me were like the Barbies. We had our differences, but those differences were within a certain range. Our families were of European descent, Catholic, and suburban.
On Welcoming: Our global friends – a trip to Tanzania - Herald Journal Publishing
Last week, I shared with you some information about my 1999 trip to Tanzania for the League of Women Voters on a democracy-building project sponsored by USAID. I’ve had questions from people wanting to hear more about it. We knew we were going to work in Tanzania with the women we had previously hosted in Minneapolis, and that we would help them put on a conference on a topic they would determine.
On Welcoming: My global valentine
On a day that is all about love, whether romantic love, familial love, or love between and among friends, I want to wish each of you a Happy Valentine’s Day filled with love that brings joy to your life. In the spring of 1999, I was sitting in a board meeting for the League of Women Voters in Minneapolis. We had recently hosted two women from Tanzania in a democracy-building project sponsored by USAID.
On Welcoming: Good neighbors
When someone moves into the neighborhood, it is customary to welcome them and bring them a gift (often food) as a way of saying hello and welcoming them to the community. Over time, if we are open to getting to know them, we share information about our lives and learn about theirs. Trust builds and neighbors often become friends who rely on one another. Some of my neighbors have become close friends.
On Welcoming: Aim for uncommon decency
When I was a child, a television special called “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” would air around this time of year. Most of us know the story of the unusual reindeer whose nose would glow. His community mocked and ridiculed him. His parents were embarrassed because he was different. They encouraged him to hide his differences. And then, on Christmas Eve, it was so foggy that a glowing nose was needed to guide Santa’s sleigh. What made him different became an asset.
On Welcoming: Avoiding a state religion
We educate our young to provide them with knowledge, or, in other words, what to know and how to do things. Life experience goes on to build wisdom – where and why to act with what we know. I was taught to avoid controversial topics in polite conversation, namely politics and religion. I learned that it was okay to talk about the weather or current events, but not to talk about our values.
On Welcoming: When you were hungry
If rising housing and food costs affect those of us in the middle class, how do they impact the working poor? In 2023, Minnesota’s poverty rate was 9.3%, 3.2% lower than the national rate. However, as in so many things, there are significant racial disparities in poverty in Minnesota, with the poverty rate of Black or African Americans at 24%, and American Indians at 31.2%.
On Welcoming: Bordering on hope
I have been to some parts of the United States border that lie between us and both our northern and southern neighbors. We have thousands of miles of land borders and thousands more of coastline. I hear citizens demanding that we secure our southern border, and politicians trying to appease them. It bears notice that no one seems to be worried about our northern border. For those concerned about terrorists entering our country, they are just as likely to arrive through Canada.
On Welcoming: Bias and other human conditions
Many of us watched the presidential debate this past week. We saw and heard the candidates speaking. We have reason to believe it was them, not AI-generated (artificial intelligence) images. I would be willing to bet that people came away having heard different things. We heard what we expected, filtered by our bias toward one candidate and/or against the other. Bias, what we believe based on our past experiences and beliefs, plays out in many ways in our lives, sometimes with tragic consequences.
On Welcoming: Love thy enemy, friend
Recently, I heard about an incident in western Russia that happened near the end of World War II. German soldiers had been captured in Russia. Russians had suffered greatly at the hands of the Germans who had invaded their country in their quest for a new world order and more territory. The bedraggled, starving German soldiers were paraded through town by their captors. A Russian babushka, or grandmother, pushed her way through the crowd and approached one of the soldiers.
Al Bunker speaks at St Paul’s UCC
St Paul’s United Church of Christ welcomed Al Bunker, a local speaker and activist, to their service Aug. 11. Al, also known as Allie, (pronouns they, their, and them) in a speech called, “Don’t Judge Me,” described life since, at the age of 18, a virus attacked their brain, causing an illness that left them with a disability. Previously an able-bodied athlete and typical in speech, Al was in a wheelchair on high school graduation day, only able to cross the stage on foot to accept their diploma.
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