Saturday, April 1, Linn County Sustainability began a series of topics pertaining to Earth Month, focusing on climate vulnerable groups, starting with an event right here in Mount Vernon.
The first session was held at the Lester Buresh Community Wellness Center last Saturday afternoon, and highlighted the history of redlining in Linn County, featuring a guest speaker from the African American Museum of Iowa.
The discussion gave adequate history of the practice, as well as the impact the practice has had on people and their neighborhoods. It also really reiterated with local examples in Linn County about the story of people who experienced housing discrimination and succeeded to change history.
The next session is planned for Wednesday, April 12, at Fairfax City Hall, when disaster action planning will be discussed, with a focus on environmental and disaster preparedness for aging populations.
Wednesday, April 19, the discussion will be at Wellington Heights Community Church in Cedar Rapids, discussing neighborhood revitalization and the connection to environmental justice in the county.
On Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, EcoFest will be held at the NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids, with further information on environmental justice initiatives and ways to support the work moving forward.
The events are all open and free to the public to attend. This series provides a chance for citizens and all to reflect not only on our impact on the planet Earth, but how decisions made in the past have impacted those in disproportionate communities, including the elderly, disabled, people of color, rural communities and others. It’s also a great springboard to start discussions on how we as a county can work together to be more equitable and resilient in the face of new challenges, with storms like derechos becoming more normal.
“We welcome attendees with all levels of knowledge and understanding on the topics in the series. The locations were chosen to serve the entirety of Linn County,” said Linn County sustainability director Tamara Marcus.