During the past year, the Iowa Legislature proposed and even codified into law bills that attempt to normalize discrimination, reduce voting access and hurt many citizens of this state. Legislators are proposing more of the same during this year’s session of the General Assembly.
To call out these efforts and stand up for the rights of all Iowa citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, One Human Family of the QCA, along with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Iowa, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa & Action Fund, League of Women Voters of Iowa (LWVIA) and Progress Iowa, is sponsoring a free statewide “Iowa is Better Than This” event, a lament of discriminatory legislation, at 5 p.m. Feb. 16.
The hybrid event will include live and online participation from those at 10 different sites around the state (Ames, Burlington, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, and Sioux City), who will highlight how the discriminatory actions of the Iowa Legislature, many of which were signed into law by the governor, will negatively impact state residents.
In Iowa City, the event will be held at Center for Worker Justice, 1556 S. First Ave, Iowa City.
To attend the event in-person or online, registration is required at OneHumanFamilyQCA.org.
Issues of concern addressed during the event will include, but will not be limited to:
• LGBTQ+ issues
• Voting rights
• Gun accessibility
• Housing discrimination
• Educational curriculum
• The right to peaceful protest
• Treatment of Immigrants
“The actions taken by the Iowa Legislature and then signed into law by the governor do not represent what so many of us in the state believe in or want in our communities,” said Rabbi Henry Karp, co-founder of One Human Family QCA. “It is time to stand up and say enough is enough. Iowa is a beautiful and cculturally diverse stae. We need laws that honor all who live in our state. What the Iowa Legislature has proposed and codified into law does not honor or reflect what Iowa stands for. It tears at the very fabric of what is good about our state.”
According to Rev. Richard Hendricks, co-founder of One Human Family QCA, the actions taken by the Iowa Legisalture are counter to what the state has always stood for.
“’Iowa nice’ is a term long associated with those who live in the state,” Hendricks said. “It should mean that we care about each and every Iowan. We honored our diversity by being the third state in the nation to legalize same sex marriage. Now we have become known for our anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, particularly taking aim at transgender youth. There are so many more issues, with legislators now calling to criminall prosecute teachers for material that certain legislators deem inappropriate. Teachers are there to help our young citizerns think critically and be the best they can be, no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation. Our beloved ‘Iowa Nice,’ where we respect all of our citizens and honor their dignity, seems to have flown out the window.”
But it is not jsut gender equity, notes Dale Blesz, education professor at Saint Ambrose University, and author of the lament document that will bee read during the hybrid event.
“It is all aspects of what we hold dear in our state — from voting rights, to the right to peacefully protest and the welcoming of immigrants, an act that was wonderfully modeld by former Gov. Robert Ray,” Blesz said. “Legislators are creating an ‘us or them’ atmosphere that isn’t who we are. That is wy we are coming together to voice our lament of legislators’ actions. We can’t just sit by and let this happen.”