The Lens, a newsletter that spotlights Social Justice and Racial Equity Initiatives in Iowa City. Recent highlights:
Paid Fall Student Internship Opportunity
The Office of Equity & Human Rights is hiring for a fall student intern. The tentative duration is from August 2020 through December 2020. Variable daytime hours up to 25 hours per week, Monday through Friday 8am-5pm. The wage is $13.25 per hour. Application deadline: Thursday, August 6, 2020. Visit www.icgov.org/jobs to apply online.
Examples of duties: Under direct supervision, assists in creating materials to promote awareness of the City’s racial equity, social justice, and fair housing choice initiatives. Assists in the creation of the monthly Racial Equity and Social Justice Newsletter through researching and writing stories, as well as incorporating visuals through photography and graphic design, prepares the City’s quarterly reports on Racial Equity and Social Justice, creates content for the Office of Equity and Human Rights website page and posts for the Office’s Instagram page, works with the Equity Director on a variety of racial equity and social justice-related projects.
Candidates considered must be attending an educational institution accredited by DOE recognized accreditation body. Candidates considered will preferably have coursework or experience in photography, social media and one of the following areas: journalism, communications, graphic design, racial equity and social justice, marketing, or a related field.
What is the Significance of “BIPOC?”
The term “BIPOC” is used to acknowledge that not all people of color (“POC”) face an equal level of injustice. Specifically naming Black and Indigenous people signifies that Black and Indigenous populations are the ones who’ve suffered the most under white supremacy, imperialism, colonialism, classism, racial injustices, and systemic oppression.
Activist and writer Lara Witt explains, “BIPOC = Black, Indigenous + People of color. Personally, the distinction between the two (POC vs BIPOC) is necessary for multiple reasons. Anti-Black & anti-indigenous sentiment/policies/oppression is a foundational structure of the US.”
She added, “We often erase indigenous people in our discussions and anti-Blackness is so prevalent in non-Black POC communities, that the distinction helps us point out privilege & oppression within our communities.” Learn more terminology here.
Emma Sanders: A Quiet Hero of the Civil Rights Movement
Emma Sanders is not a household name, but she spent a large part of her life working behind the scenes to advance the cause of civil rights in her native Mississippi and across the nation.
She first became involved in the early 1960’s, when her son Everett joined a movement dedicated to desegregating restaurants and churches. In an era when most Black parents were telling their children not to join such causes, as they were too dangerous, Ms. Sanders and her husband, William, wanted to support their son. They joined the movement themselves and, as Everett told the New York Times, “moved to the head of the class.” Her grandson Keelan Sanders added, “she didn’t want her own children to become involved in something that she didn’t have a very strong understanding of.”
Ms. Sanders went on to become one of Mississippi’s most influential civil rights leaders. She was a founding member of the Freedom Democratic Party. Because Mississippi’s Democratic Party systematically excluded Black people from its leadership, a group of Black leaders formed the Freedom Democrats with the goal of integrating the Party. In August of 1964, their delegation challenged the official, all-white state delegation, which refused to seat them at the Presidential Nominating convention. The stand-off made national news and ended with a compromise brokered by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A great-granddaughter of an enslaved person, Ms. Sanders taught and owned a business with her husband. In an era when few women, and fewer Women of Color, attended college, she earned a degree from Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University), the nation’s first Black land-grant college, and went on to study toward a Master’s Degree at Indiana University.
She was instrumental in helping to organize the Freedom Summer efforts to enfranchise Black voters. Her family fed and housed volunteers in their home, and canvassed neighborhoods to register potential voters. In 1966, she sued to place Black names on the Mississippi ballot, then ran for Congress. She lost the first race, but considered the strength of support for her and other Black candidates “a revelation.” The next year, Freedom Party candidates were victorious in multiple local elections.
Ms. Sanders was a delegate to the 1972 national Democratic Convention, and at least five conventions to follow. In 2008, she attended the convention when Barack Obama became the first Black Presidential nominee from a major party, and attended again in 2016, when Hillary Clinton became the first major-party female candidate.
Ms. Sanders also played a role in naming the first federal building in the country for a Black person, the Dr. A.H. McCoy Federal Building in Jackson, Mississippi. “She never expected any acclaim,” said the Rev. Edwin King, another founder of the Freedom Party. “But she would inspire people.” Ms. Sanders inspired many, but perhaps she inspired her family the most. In 2004, her grandson Keelan Sanders became Mississippi’s first Black Executive Director of the state Democratic Party. In 2016, Ms. Sanders told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger that her 13 great-grandchildren all knew “when they get to 18, they have to register, and I want them to vote. I check.”
Ms. Sanders died at the age of 91 on June 24, 2020, four days before seeing the success of another of her causes—removing the Confederate symbolism from Mississippi’s state flag. More information is available online.
“Defund the Police:” Does it Mean What You Think It Means?
Maybe not. It does not mean anyone wants to get rid of law enforcement functions entirely. While some people do seek to disband the current model of policing altogether, they also recognize the need to then create an entirely new way of maintaining public safety. But the phrase typically refers to a redistribution of funds currently allocated to policing.
People concerned with the increased militarizing of this country’s law enforcement, and the accompanying war-like “us v. them” training that many officers receive, are arguing for allocating more funds to community policing, mental health services, and de-escalation training and less to military-style equipment and weaponry. “Defund the Police” means defunding the sort of initiatives that lead to an adversarial relationship between police and the communities they serve.
In 1981, the Military Cooperation with Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Act was passed. The Act allows local law enforcement and branches of the U.S. Military to work in concert with each other on counter-drug operations, civil disturbances, special security operations, counterterrorism, explosive ordnance disposal, and similar activities. But perhaps most importantly for community residents, a program initiated in 1990 also allows for excess military equipment to be given or sold to local law enforcement agencies. The “1033 program” has resulted in the transfer of over $1.5 Billion of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies since 1997. Data from 2006 to 2014 shows that local and state police departments obtained aircraft, helicopters, bayonets, knives, night-vision sniper scopes, tactical armored vehicles, rifles and weapons including grenade launchers, watercraft, and camouflage gear, among other military equipment. Many police officers and law enforcement policy analysts themselves are concerned with the result.
The effort to “defund the police” envisions a reversal of the militarization trend. Supporters want a return to old-fashioned community policing, where officers are a part of the community and take a more protective, rather than adversarial, role. Funding that reflected this model of policing would direct larger portions of budgets to building relationships, recognizing and treating mental health conditions, and shifting funds away from policing and toward social services. People who are adequately housed, fed, and supported in their health and safety needs are much less likely to engage in criminal behavior than those who lack these resources. “Defunding the police” means funding the sort of support that reduces life circumstances known to foster criminal behavior, rather than continuing to fund the current military-style police forces that are so adversarial to the communities they are meant to “protect and serve.”
Build, Learn, and Grow
The Iowa City Parks and Recreation facilities are a place for us to become one, to build, to learn, and to grow our community. A recent art installation, “Tears”, created by a Parks & Recreation staff member, has been hung in the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center's lobby.
They are asking you to participate with them by creating an 8.5x11" piece of artwork that shows your support for the Black Lives Matter Movement. Your piece should reflect your voice, it could be a drawing, a poem, or a photo. Please email a photo of your completed artwork to parksandrecreation@iowa-city.org. They will be compiling your artwork to share in a window gallery at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center.
Resources on Race in America
The Johnson County Diversity and Inclusion Committee compiled a list of their top-ten recommended media about race—including books, documentaries, podcasts, articles, videos, and essays—to help people seek out information, develop a more comprehensive view of the issues, and become better allies.
"So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo (Book)
"Time and Distance Overcome" by Eula Biss (Essay)
"How We Can Make Racism a Solvable Problem—And Improve Policing" by Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff (Ted Talk)
"I Am Not Your Negro" by James Baldwin and Raoul Pack (Documentary)
"The Problem We All Live With (Part I and II)" by This American Life (Podcast Episode)
"13th" by Ava DuVernay (Documentary)
"Talking About Whiteness" with Eula Biss by On Being with Krista Tippett (Podcast Episode)
"Rebuilding a Neighborhood with Beauty, Dignity, Hope" by Bill Strickland (Ted Talk)
"Seeing White" (Podcast)
"White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin DiAngelo (Book)
Mourning the deaths of Civil Rights Leaders this Summer
Charles Evers 1922-2020
Charles Evers was a World War II veteran and the first African American mayor elected in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. Alongside younger brother Medgar Evers, who was assassinated in 1963, Charles became active within the NAACP after continuing to face discrimination following their arrival from the war abroad. After his brother was killed, Charles, who had been serving as the NAACP’s state voter registration chairman, took on more leadership roles within the organization and succeeded his brother’s role as field director for Mississippi.
In 1969, Charles made history by becoming the first black mayor in Mississippi when elected in the city of Fayette in 1969. His achievement made headlines across the nation and brought to light the power of Black voters in the Deep South. That same year, the NAACP named him man of the year and went on to serve as mayor of the city for the next 16 years. Outside of his political work, Charles was an active businessman owning supermarkets, liquor stores, and real estate in Mississippi. A controversial figure at times, Charles was unafraid to use blunt language and backed both Democratic and Republican political candidates throughout his lifetime.
C.T. Vivian 1924-2020
Reverend C.T. Vivian was a preacher, educator, civil rights icon, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient who worked on the front lines of the civil rights movement; from organizing the first sit-ins in Nashville along with Rep. John Lewis, to riding the first Freedom Bus into Mississippi. He served as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s lieutenant, and leader within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1965, he was beaten by a segregationist sheriff in Selma, Alabama, while trying to register Black voters, a moment that helped spark the march that pressured Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. Reverend Vivian also co-founded the National Anti-Klan Network to monitor hate groups. In his later life, he created what is now known as the “Upward Bound” program. We join in with others across the country in mourning his death on July 17, 2020.
“Where is your courage?”
Representative John Lewis 1940-2020
Democratic congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis passed away on Friday, July 17, 2020, at the age of 80 after battling pancreatic cancer. An honored and respected representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, Lewis was widely recognized for his role as a main organizer for the 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 voting-rights march in Selma, Alabama.
Mr. Lewis was arrested 40 times over the span of six years during his activist leadership in the civil rights movement and beaten countless times by Southern policemen. On one occasion during the Freedom rides of 1961, Lewis was left lying unconscious in a pool of his own blood at a Greyhound station in Montgomery, Alabama. “I thought I was going to die,” he had said in an interview reflecting on the rides which occurred nearly 60 years ago. On March 7, 1965, again in Selma, Lewis, alongside activist Hosea Williams, led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The demonstrators were met with violent beatings from policemen at the scene. The event, now regarded as “Bloody Sunday,” boosted momentum for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
A national figure, John Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2011. Throughout his life, John Lewis was steadfast in the fight for freedom, justice, and basic human rights. His words, which have led thousands to galvanize for change, will continue to live on past his lifetime and inspire future generations to get into what he called “good trouble.”
How to Address Bias at Work
Many of us would like to have the perfect response at hand when someone says something biased or tells an inappropriate ‘joke’ at work. Too often, however, we say nothing, because we aren’t sure what to say or how to say it. In addition, we may fear the effect on our own career or relationships within our team if we speak up. Here are some suggestions for effectively speaking up.
1. With whom do you want to speak?
If the person who made the biased comment is a peer or subordinate, you may want to speak, privately and calmly, directly with the person. If the person is your supervisor or someone with more authority in the organization, it may be better to discuss the incident with a person you trust who can help identify the best person to speak to. It may be someone in Human Resources, or there may be a mentor or other person who can speak on your behalf. In some cases, you may feel comfortable “speaking truth to power.” Do, however, give the question some thought before acting.
2. Stay calm.
Your reaction should not put you in the position of having to apologize for things you said. Wait until any “heat of the moment” feelings have passed, and you have had time to plan your response. Make sure your message is delivered in a way in which it can be heard.
3.Take the higher ground.
While it may be tempting to give the person “a piece of your mind,” remember the goal is to create change. People are not able to listen when they feel attacked, however justified your point may be. Go into the conversation with the goal of repairing relationships and creating a more respectful workplace. Talk about how the behavior made you feel and why. Listen to the other person’s perspective, even if you do not agree with them. Relate your response to team effectiveness, productivity, and everyday work environment.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed thirty years ago this month, on July 26, 1990. It was introduced by Iowa’s own Senator Tom Harkin and Minnesota Senator Dave Durenberger. The ADA applies to employers (originally with 25 or more, then with 15 or more employees), state and local government services, public accommodations, and telecommunications.
In 1999, two Supreme Court decisions drastically changed the ADA landscape. First, the Olmstead case held that people with disabilities must be served in integrated, community-based settings rather than institutions whenever possible, because isolation of people with disabilities outside of mainstream society is a form of discrimination. This was a victory for advocates.
However, the Sutton case trilogy held that if a person uses mitigating measures to aid in alleviating the effects of their disability/ies, the person may not be protected by the ADA. For example, if a person who is legally blind without glasses has corrective lenses that allow them to see, that person may not be able to rely on the ADA’s protection. This decision led to a decade of misery for plaintiffs in ADA cases. Suddenly, the focus was not on how the person with a disability was treated, but on whether the person’s life was affected severely enough by the disability to “count” under the ADA. The Sutton cases greatly narrowed the protections of the ADA and functioned as a hurdle to overcome before plaintiffs ever got to the merits of their cases.
Congress acted in 2008, passing the ADA Amendments Act, which functionally overturned Sutton. The ADA Amendments Act declared some conditions automatic disabilities, removing from the courts the question of whether a person was affected enough by their disability to “count” under the ADA. The Amendments also introduced a more rigorous framework for decision in ambiguous situations, ensuring the courts could not effectively abrogate the ADA by narrowing the interpretation of what a “disability” is.
Retired Senator Harkin, among others involved in the original passage of the ADA, hosted a virtual rally on July 26, 2020 for the 30th Anniversary. Senator Harkin now heads the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement, a key priority of which is improving employment opportunity for people with disabilities.
July is Bebe Moore Campbell BIPOC Mental Health Month
Since 2008, July has been Bebe Moore Campbell BIPOC (formerly Minority) Mental Health Month. Bebe Moore Campbell was an author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate. Watching her daughter struggle with mental illness, and realizing the limits of available resources, especially for BIPOC, Ms. Campbell founded NAMI-Inglewood to provide services in a predominantly Black neighborhood. She wrote books for both adults and children about living with mental illness, such as 72 Hour Hold and Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, and campaigned tirelessly to increase awareness and expand services.
In addition to a lack of mental health resources, BIPOC face unique stressors in an unequal society. Ms. Campbell pointed out that many Black men with mental illnesses end up in prison; “in fact,” she noted, “prisons are the United States’ largest mental health facilities,” although the availability and quality of treatment for incarcerated persons varies widely and is often non-existent. Another problem for BIPOC is what Ms. Campbell called “the historical stigma of race as a burden.” She explained, “while everyone-all colors-everyone-is affected by stigma, no one wants to say, ‘I’m not in control of my mind.’ No one wants to say, ‘The person I love is not in control of [their] mind.’ But People of Color really don’t want to say it because we already feel stigmatized by virtue of skin color or eye shape or accent and we don’t want any more reasons for anyone to say, ‘you’re not good enough.’”
On June 2, 2008, two years after Ms. Campbell’s death from brain cancer, Congress formally recognized July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to bring awareness to the unique struggles underrepresented groups in the US when seeking help for mental health issues. More information can be found online.
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