Stories

An Iowa Bystander commentary has called for the ouster of the top official at the Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans, citing concerns with his leadership and role in the commission spending $75,000 on a disparity study in Davenport.

The commentary’s headline read “Time for a change: Fire Abraham Funchess.” It slammed the commission’s [...]

A panel of clergy will discuss issues of race and the controversy sparked by Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama’s former minister, during an upcoming Juneteenth panel discussion in Des Moines. 

“There is no one standard of what the church is in the African-American community. The variety or diversity of religion, even within [...]

The publisher of the state’s oldest African-American newspaper expressed concerns in a recent Iowa Bystander issue about the Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans’ Ongoing Covenant with Black Iowa.

Jerald Brantley, in a May 19 column titled “From the pen of JB,” wrote: “Let’s talk about gatekeepers and their negative effect on our community [...]

It’s easy for most Americans to conjure up the image of Martin Luther King Jr., saying “I still have a dream.” But, nearly 40 years after the death of the civil rights icon, many know little beyond that famous line.

That saddens Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr., who discussed King’s legacy with a crowd of [...]

Renowned civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., will be remembered Monday during the state of Iowa’s 19th annual King celebration.

The event, which is called “Honor the life: Martin Luther King,” is expected to draw about 300 people and was organized by the Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans. The celebration will held [...]

The problems afflicting African-Americans in Iowa have received widespread attention this year, hastening into action black leaders and ordinary citizens.

“With the issues facing African-Americans, there is an urgency,” said Gretchen Woods, youth adviser for the Des Moines Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “We really just don’t have time to [...]

WATERLOO — Wanted: A new kind of African-American leader.

Job description: Must be willing to work exclusively for the betterment of blacks. Must have strategies that deliver results. Must prize community service over lip service.

Freeing blacks from the grips of poverty and prison will require black leaders who possess these qualities, said experts at the [...]

More than 800 people are expected to attend the second annual Ongoing Covenant with Black Iowa Summit this weekend in Waterloo.

“We just want everybody to come and participate in the summit,” said Abraham Funchess, division administrator of the Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans. “We hope that people will appreciate the caliber of speakers [...]

Proposals to lower the numbers of African-Americans in Iowa prisons fail to address the racism some blacks believe is contributing to the disparities and don’t offer any immediate solutions, activists and others said.

“I’m tired of people faking like they don’t know what the problem is,” said Zorana Wortham-White, a Waterloo attorney. “Everybody needs to realize [...]

A plan to tackle some of the daunting problems facing African-Americans in Iowa has garnered unanimous support by black leaders, business owners and residents who gathered in Des Moines to learn more about the “Ongoing Covenant with Black Iowa.”

“African-Americans must take control of their lives if they are to be taken seriously by the system [...]