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Church vs State I have not chosen to be vocal about the right to abortion since I was first elected in 2011. Why? Primarily because I am a Catholic and the Catholic Church does not support abortion. In fact, when I was in the Catholic schools I attended in elementary school, high school and college, […]
The Importance and Impact of Iowa’s Legislative Black Caucus As I reported earlier, the Iowa Black Legislative Caucus was formed in 2018. We saw a need to look at the plight of African Americans in the State and propose legislation that would improve the quality of life of our people. It has been difficult […]
Black Journalists in Iowa A call from a local news reporter brought to my attention how challenging it is to be a black journalist in Iowa. Recently, Lauren Johnson, KCCI news reporter, was asked to leave an Ankeny school board meeting. The meeting included a discussion of the need for hiring a diversity specialist for […]
Public health issues faced by Immigrants Public Health Week takes a look at the variety of issues affecting different populations, such as climate change, gun violence, and healthcare. As part of our team’s Public Health Week series, we are going to take a closer look at health issues facing a particular group of people in […]
United States has one of the highest gun violence rates in the world Gun violence is one of the biggest threats to Americans and Iowans’ public health, and is listed as one of the American Public Health Association’s main topics of concern because “Guns kill more than 38,000 people and cause nearly 85,000 injuries each […]
Calling for action after last week’s tragedy Earlier this week I was honored to be invited to speak at a Press Conference that was organized by one of my former East High Students, Rev. Dr. Frantz Whitfield in response to the shooting at East High School in Des Moines, where I taught for 40 years. […]
Water Quality Issues have been Ongoing in Iowa Our state is dealing with major widespread agricultural issues that require stronger plans and faster action. As a farmer in Jefferson County and a soil scientist by training with a PhD, I want to focus on two key issues that affect us, our health, and our land. […]
Lawmakers Limiting Press Access Across the Country Most citizens don’t know that Republican leaders in Iowa, Utah, Kansas and Florida are limiting journalists’ access to open-to-the-public legislature and gubernatorial sessions. This begs the question “what issues and policies are GOP elected officials trying to hide?” Furthermore, what is there about the First Amendment to the […]
Tragedy Strikes at Home The following is my tribute to the school I love so dearly, the place where I spent the majority of my life, the school that is naming their newly renovated theater after me…Dear ole East High. Just Another Day in America I woke up that morning and it seemed like it […]
Today is National Hospitality Worker Appreciation Day, and while the headline may trick you into thinking this article is going to address some of the bills that are making Iowa a less welcoming state, i.e. censoring books, jailing teachers, and banning transgender children from playing sports with their friends, we’re actually going to look at […]