Johnson County remains Johnson County, but has shed some historical baggage. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Thursday to change the county’s eponym — the person it is named for — from Richard Mentor Johnson, vice president of the United States (1837-1841) and lifelong slaveowner, to Iowan Lulu Merle Johnson, the first African-American woman […]
Racial justice
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Watch: J.E.D.I. training brings anti-racist conversations to marginalized youth
“We are either in support of justice movements or we continue to perpetuate an unjust society.” -Jonny Stax Young padawans are invited to participate in J.E.D.I. training this month. Led by ArtForce Iowa and Jonny Stax Creations, the J.E.D.I. (justice, equity, diversity and intersectionality) program seeks to bring anti-racist conversations to marginalized youth in Iowa, […]
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Linn County introduces marijuana diversion program
Individuals charged with marijuana possession in Linn County who don’t have a criminal record may be eligible for the county’s new marijuana diversion program. However, it’s unclear whether or not the program will address the county’s racial disparities for marijuana arrests. Linn County announced the marijuana diversion program was on Dec. 28, and it went […]
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The man who intentionally hit Iowa City protesters with his car in August avoids prison
After spending 76 days in the Johnson County Jail, an Iowa City man who attempted to take the law into his own hands this summer by driving into protesters has avoided prison time and, pending any further infractions, will have a clean record by 2024. The incident Just before 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 21, as […]
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The Robert A. Lee Recreation Center is the cultural nexus of Iowa City, but not all are welcome equally
The Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center, an unimpressive building that looms small in the shadow of The Chauncey, is nevertheless a nexus for the true cultural geography of Iowa City. A relic of mid-century municipal architecture — something of a rarity in Iowa City — it took nearly a decade to realize after a […]
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Report: Iowa is among the worst states in racial disparities for marijuana possession arrests
Iowa has one of the worst racial disparity problems in the country when it comes to arrests for marijuana possession, according to a report published by the ACLU on Monday. Nationwide, a black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana than a white person, but in Iowa, a black […]
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Driving while black in Dubuque: There’s good news and bad news
There’s no racial disparity in which drivers get pulled over by police in Dubuque. But things change once a traffic stop occurs.
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The Loneliest Number: Being Black in Iowa
I used to loathe the end of January. Around that time, anxiety-ridden managers would start suggesting that I help organize the Black History Month activities for February. Bless their hearts. They either genuinely felt our staff needed to be more conscious of the contributions African Americans made to society, or somewhere in their manager handbook, […]
