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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 […]
The Big House In the early 1950’s, I lived at 903 16th Street in Des Moines. The house and all the surrounding properties were demolished years ago, and currently Edmunds Fine Arts Academy occupies that space. Across the street was a large house that my mom called “a rooming house”, but because I was […]
Good Park, Des Moines Driving by Good Park on 17th and University on the west side of Des Moines, always brings back beautiful memories of summers I spent there. “The Park” as we called it back in the day, was always full of black folks. On any given day “the Park” displayed various celebrations […]
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 […]
Reflection on the Past Black History Month always motivates me to think about my youth. As a very young child, my parents would always find a babysitter for me so that they could attend a show on any given evening, on Center Street. Beginnings of Center Street Started in the early 1900’s by the Negro […]
Black History Month Speech for the Iowa House of Representatives It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in the fall of 1955 when my mother, my aunt, and I returned home from church. As I ran upstairs to change my clothes, my mother yelled at me, saying that I should keep on my good clothes. That we […]
Iowa’s Legislative Black Caucus On January 27th, the five Democratic Legislators elected me as the Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. I am anxious to take the lead on this very important and much needed initiative. Founding the Black Caucus Representative Ako Abdul-Samad first introduced the idea of forming a Black caucus to me in […]
