The Iowa Chapter of the American Planning Association's annual conference was held the second week of October throughout Iowa City.

Stefanie Bowers, Equity Director and Human Rights Coordinator for the City, presented on toolkits to Advance Racial Equity Planning. Her co-presenter Manisha Patel, Equity Coordinator for the City of Des Moines, presented on Planning for Equitable Outcomes.

The conference also offered panels on urban planning, changing energy systems, preparing local governments for increasing wind solar deployment, and managing historical preservation projects.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding infants breast milk for their first six months, and continuing nursing for the first year. For working mothers, however, following this recommendation means having to pump milk for 15 to 30 minutes every two to three hours throughout the work day.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth each time an employee has need to express the milk.” This means that employers must allow their female employees covered by the FLSA to take breaks: when needed, for a reasonable time (which means as long as it reasonably takes that particular woman to complete the task of pumping milk), in a private place that is not a bathroom, for a time period of one year after the child’s birth. Employers are not required to pay women for these breaks, unless the break time would otherwise be paid.

These protections apply only to employers and employees covered by the FLSA. Many states, however, have passed laws that close the gaps left by the FLSA, and women have also sued under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as well as its state counterparts, such as Chapter 216 of the Iowa Code. Although a right to express breast milk is not explicitly contained in Title VII, federal courts have found that discrimination due to breastfeeding violates Title VII’s protections against discrimination based on sex.

If you have faced discrimination by any Iowa City employer, please do report the discrimination to the Office of Equity and Human Rights at 319-356-5022. Please feel free to also fill out an online complaint form to report the discrimination.

The Office of Equity and Human Rights has handled hundreds of complaints in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation. Every complaint received gives the office insight into problems that people are experiencing in this community and helps them to identify and prioritize problems for action.

Over the last decade, Iowa City’s population has changed significantly. With it, the need for English Language Learning (ELL) instruction for Iowa City Community School District families has increased 533% since 2012. Kirkwood Community College has provided adult ELL classes for years.

Kirkwood recognizes that if more people were to complete ELL classes, the labor pool for local employees would increase, and individuals completing the ELL courses would be improving their employment prospects and thus, the economic health of their families. The City of Iowa City will provide $25,000 per year to support Kirkwood in this ELL expansion for 5 years.

Addressing these issues in this way is directly aligned with the Council Strategic Priority of promoting a strong and resilient local economy through cooperation with the Iowa City Community School District, Iowa Workforce Development, Kirkwood Community College, Iowa Works, and others to increase opportunities for community members to obtain access to skills training and good jobs.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2019 heard oral arguments on three cases that question whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, prohibits LGBTQ discrimination. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the three cases dealing with this matter within the next year. On July 3, 2019, Mayor Throgmorton joined 100 mayors and municipalities in signing the LGBTQ Rights Support brief that supports these three key cases.

One Iowa held its 2019 LGBTQ Workplace Culture Summit on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville. City staff from Communications, Parks & Recreation, Human Rights, Neighborhood & Development Services, City Manager’s Office and City Clerk’s Office attended. The summit featured presentations on LGBTQ workplace culture, nonbinary identities in the workplace, and a panel discussion on how to be an ally to the LGBTQ community. Attendees learned more about the LGBTQ community, how to make more inclusive policies, and retain LGBTQ talent. The City of Iowa City was an Advocate Sponsor of the event.

Are you interested in applying for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant for FY 2020?

Plan on attending an informational session on the grant Monday, Nov. 18, 2019 from noon to 1:15 p.m., or 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. in Emma Harvat Hall at City Hall.

This is an opportunity to learn about the origins, purpose, process, and timeline for the grant as well as useful tips on filling out the application with plenty of time for Q&A.

Attendance is not mandatory to apply for the funding, but strongly encouraged. Click here to RSVP.

The Office of Equity and Human Rights is committed to continuing to improve accessibility for persons to report discriminatory or negative experiences they have had or witnessed in Iowa City.

For the last several years, an online complaint form has allowed persons to file complaints of discrimination 24/7. This is in addition to the option of filling out a paper complaint form.

Recently, the Office added a new option. If a person believes that they have experienced or witnessed a discriminatory incident but do not want to pursue the traditional legal remedies by filing a complaint of discrimination, they may report their concerns online 24/7 with this option.

The Office encourages residents to report whatever discriminatory or disrespectful behavior they have experienced or witnessed because patterns in these reports can help the Office determine where they should focus their prevention and enforcement efforts in the community.

The Iowa City Human Rights Commission makes recommendations to the Council for such further legislation concerning discrimination as it may deem necessary and desirable. It educates the public on human rights and illegal discrimination, such as organizing and facilitating educational public forums that address one or more of the broad range of topics included within the rubric of human rights and enforce the anti-discrimination laws for the City and more! For more information, checkout the form online. 

The League of Iowa Human Rights Agencies held its annual fall meeting and symposium on Thursday, Oct.17, 2019 in Dubuque at the Multicultural Family Center.

Human Rights Coordinator and Equity Director Stefanie Bowers presented on Public Assistance Source of Income under Iowa City’s fair housing law. The City, in June of 2016, added Housing Choice Vouchers (commonly referred to as Section 8) and other similar rental subsidies to the list of prohibited acts. To learn more about this protection visit this link.

For detailed information on current trainings, initiatives, or programs, visit icgov.org/SJREinitiatives, and scroll to Social Justice and Racial Equity Quarterly Updates.

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