City staff shared information during Tuesday’s Cedar Rapids City Council meeting about the 90-day process to create a citizen review board, including how the public can get involved, goals of the process and next steps. But residents who spoke after the presentation during the meeting’s public comment period raised concerns about how the work is […]
Black Lives Matter
Posted inCommunity/News
Advocates for Social Justice outline 11 recommendations for a citizens review board in Cedar Rapids
The Advocates for Social Justice (ASJ) have published their research and recommendations for what a citizens review board should look like in Cedar Rapids and what should be kept in mind as it’s being established. The 18-page “Citizens Review Board Research Brief” discusses ASJ’s 11 recommendations, as well as how race needs to be “at […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Coralville City Councilmember who called Black Lives Matter ‘criminals’ resigns
Longtime Coralville City Councilmember Tom Gill resigned on Friday, three days after making inflammatory statements about Black Lives Matter during a council meeting. “BLM, to a lot of people, is a great organization,” the five-term councilor said near the end of last Tuesday’s Zoom meeting, which was streamed publicly.
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We will not be silenced’: Protesters in Cedar Rapids march to City Hall and leave messages for elected officials (Updated)
“It’s time we get into some ‘good trouble’ … and this is good trouble today,” Advocates for Social Justice (ASJ) member Jorel Robinson said at the start of Saturday’s protest in Cedar Rapids. Robinson was referencing the words of John Lewis, a civil rights leader and Georgia congressman who died on Friday. “We’ve come here […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Coralville City Councilmember says he has ‘zero tolerance’ for Black Lives Matter, calls it ‘a bunch of criminals’
During the public comments period of the Coralville City Council’s Tuesday Zoom meeting, multiple residents inquired about the city’s efforts to oversee and potentially reform the Coralville Police Department, as protesters have demanded. Twice, Councilmember Tom Gill interrupted responses to these questions from his fellow city councilmembers by pointing out there was a work session slated to discuss issues of racial justice following the meeting.
Posted inCommunity/News
Two students bring list of Black Lives Matter demands to Cedar Rapids Community School District
Two Kennedy High School students shared a list of Black Lives Matter demands with the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) during Monday’s Board of Education meeting. Sisters Rahma and Raafa Elsheikh asked the district to release a statement in support of Black Lives Matter, in addition to renaming schools that commemorate slave owners, ending […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert web series ‘Nuggets of Wisdom’ presents a friendly dialogue on race and queerness
Viewers might watch an episode of the Englert Theatre’s new series, Nuggets of Wisdom, and think Sharon Udoh and Jonny Stax have been close friends for years. Whether it’s the chemistry they have in their conversation, or how comfortable they seem talking about personal subjects, there’s a sense of familiarity. The two actually met in […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
A house divided: Old Creamery Theatre faces public scrutiny in the wake of staff firings
Conversations around the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter have been difficult to untangle from one another in our communities lately, at both the macro and micro levels. Emotions are running high on both, and any time or energy spent on one can seem like it is taking focus from the other. And the considerations […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids officials ‘do not plan’ to hold more meetings with Advocates for Social Justice to discuss police reform
Cedar Rapids officials “do not plan to be part of any additional negotiation meetings” with the Advocates for Social Justice (ASJ), Mayor Brad Hart wrote in an email sent to the group on Friday morning. ASJ members expressed concerns and disappointment over the decision, but said they are not giving up on their efforts. The […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Black writers at the University of Iowa describe encounters with racism in Iowa City
Content warning: This article includes stories involving racism and mental health issues, including suicidal ideation. In cities like Minneapolis, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, the myth of Midwest Nice that has allowed white people to ignore systematic racism for decades is being steadily dismantled. Despite its reputation as a liberal haven, Iowa City — like […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City launches website to let public track progress on police reform, racial equity and social justice goals
Iowa City has added a section to the city’s website, allowing the public to see how much progress is being made on the council’s 17-point resolution addressing the demands of the Iowa Freedom Riders regarding policing, affordable housing and other issue involving racial justice and equity. City Manager Geoff Fruin called the new section “a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids Community School District will host six virtual town halls to discuss anti-racism and equity
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) will hold six virtual townhalls next week to “discuss supportive efforts toward an anti-racist school district.” There are three town halls scheduled for students and three town halls scheduled for the community. Superintendent Noreen Bush will lead the initiative that “creates a space for conversations around equity issues […]
