Embracing

1
Embracing  Diversity in Iowa--  understanding
current diversity challenges strengthening
civil rights in Iowa" the views of an
enforcement agency.

• Ralph Rosenberg-
• Iowa Civil Rights Commission ralph.rosenberg_at_iowa.
  gov
• 515 242 6537

2

• Civil rights laws present a framework of legal
  protections of freedom and equality.
• Our laws describe the manner in which all people
  should be valued and treated in our democratic
  society.
• Our laws speak to the humanity in each
  individual and their right to be treated with
  respect and dignity.

3
I.   What we dowho is helped or protected?
II.   Why we do itwhy still important?III. 
How is it going? IV. Why not already
solved? V.  Close with How can we leverage
resources and use partnerships to strengthen
civil rights?

• Understanding Overcoming Challenges- --need to
  ask answer where are we today.

4
BackgroundICRC

• The Iowa Civil Rights Commission (ICRC or the
  Commission) is the state agency charged with
  investigating enforcing civil rights laws. Its
  mission to end discrimination.
• Our authority is based on chapter 216 of the code
  and 161 of the administrative rules.
• 45 years of working to enforce state civil rights
  laws

5

• Enforce state discrimination laws.
• Receive resolve 2000 complaints.
• Areas of enforcement Employment Housing Public
  Accommodation Credit and Education.
• Bases Age Race National origin Religion Sex
  Disability Sexual orientation Gender Identity
  Retaliation Color Family/marital status.
• Offer mediation for all complaints that are
  filed.
• Provide education and training.

6
   Why we still have civil rights agencies. Why
is civil rights still important in the 2010?

• Why the necessity to still pay attention to
  civil rights?
• Hasnt discrimination been solved?
• Why is it still important why not solved, by
  now?
• Changing demographics
• Pres. Obama

7
Why the continuing concern over diversity and
civil rights ?The election of President Obama
(including Iowas early endorsement) Many
Americans thinking that civil rights problems
must be on the decline
8
Why the concern continuing challenges in
perception

• Many Americans want to believe racial
  discrimination disappeared with the Jim Crow era
  of two drinking fountains.

9
Why still important

• Challenge in being satisfied with progress
• Challenge in maintaining interest- given both
  progress on one hand-- and slow progress on the
  other hand.
• Discrimination denies Iowans the chance of
  success that is central to American values of
  opportunity and prosperity.

10
Everyone should get a shot at the American dream--

• We cannot afford not to.
• Iowa cannot afford to lose the contributions from
  any member of society, including the benefits
  from a diverse Iowa
• Where there are artificial barriers, we should
  work to remove them.
• Economic reasons, growing national and global
  diversity reasons, moral reasons

11
Reminders-different realities and different
frames of references

• Iowans should be treated with human dignity
  workplace, in school, in parks, at grocery
  stores,
• Iowans should feel safe in the workplace, in
  school, in parks, at grocery stores, in city
  halls, when using public services, when buying
  private goods.
• Discrimination denies hope

12
How is it going? Reality from a different set of
lenses.

• During the 50-year celebrations of Brown v. Board
  of Education cases, Gallup and other
  organizations, released national opinion polls on
  discrimination.
• Polls attempted to measure whether Americans
  believed the goal of eliminating discrimination
  had been attained, or whether significant
  progress had been made over the past 50 years.
• Polls reflected some advancement --in terms of
  diversity in the workforce, the neighborhood, or
  ones own family.

13

• Median income of families with White heads of
  household in Iowa is twice that of families with
  African American heads of household
• Poverty rate of African Americans is more than
  three times that of Iowans generally and
• the incarceration rate of African Americans in
  Iowa is almost seven times higher than that of
  Whites

14

• Disproportionate arrests and incarceration, or
  disproportionate drop out rates.
• Housing constructed or designed that leaves out
  people with disabilities.
• Hate crimes committed against racial, sexual, and
  cultural minorities.
• Unemployment rates of people with disabilities
  several times that of the rest of the population.
  

15
How is it going?

Characteristic Total Population Number under poverty level Percentage of population living below poverty level
White 2620995 269143 10.27
Asian 44846 5347 11.92
Latino/Hispanic 118968 25143 21.13
Black/African American 71216 25354 35.60
Native Indian/Alaskan 9281 2484 26.76
Disability 343772 70011 20.36
16

• Buildings are being designed and constructed in
  violation of the ADA.
• Women are paid 75 cents on the dollar
• Unemployment rate of persons with disabilities in
  Iowa is 15 times higher than that of persons
  without disabilities
• Unemployment rate of African Americans in Iowa
  is still 4 times higher than that of Whites

17
Diversity Focus survey 2008Vernon Research Group
of Cedar Rapids one measure of how we are doing

• Purpose
• To understand how diversity is experienced in
  Linn and Johnson Counties
• To measure differences between importance and
  satisfaction ratings for issues of diversity
• To identify differences between perceived
  diversity by the overall community and reactions
  of specific diverse individuals
• To determine factors that best predict the
  willingness to accept diverse populations

18

• When asked, What does diversity mean to you?
• 73.5 said race or ethnicity
• Religion was second at 23
• Disability was cited least, at 2
• And how is it goingat least in two counties.

19

• 14 of the respondents stated they were often
• discriminated against and 47 said they were
• sometimes discriminated against in at least one
• specific situation of the 21 presented in the
  study
• 41 of respondents under the age of 25 said
• they experience discrimination at stores
• 50 of all African-Americans surveyed said
• theyd experienced discrimination involving law
• enforcement (46 in Linn and 69 in Johnson)

20
Importance vs. Performance

• Non-Caucasians cited a large difference between
  the importance of certain attributes and the
  communitys performance on these attributes.
  Caucasians considered the gap to be much smaller.
  
• Questions asked included
• Appropriate action is taken against those who
  dont respect laws relating to diversity
• Diverse populations are welcome and accepted
• Employers advocate diversity in the workplace
• Schools advocate diversity

21
Selected recommendations andwhat can be done

• Recommend that creating the next generation of
  leaders means including more people of diverse
  backgrounds as leaders in the mentoring,
  training, and development of leaders.
• Applies to elected officials, business leaders,
  volunteer leaders.
• http//diversityfocus.wdfiles.com/local--files/div
  ersityclimate/DIVBrochure.pdf

22
Selections from recommendations

• Diversity is an organizing point to create a
  platform for a global economy. By educating
  people on global economic, technological and
  educational impacts of the corridor, we can
  stimulate additional global involvement in both
  the public and private sectors.
• By celebrating the strengths of the (Cedar
  Rapids-Iowa City) corridor through the high rates
  of individuals both involved and willing to
  become involved in issues of diversity, we can
  celebrate together as well as independently.

23
Why isnt it solved --

• 40 years of civil rights laws do not erase 300
  years of history over night.
• 150 years ago, blacks in the American South were
  slaves
• 100 years ago, blacks were victims of lynchings.
• 50 years ago blacks still effectively
  disenfranchised by Jim Crow.
• Equal pay laws passed 30 years ago, but..

24
Why isnt it solved challenges

• ADA -- 50 years agonothing on disability
• 20 years ago-- ADA
• Need for 1/2009 amendments
• Far from universal acceptance ADA compliance,
  let alone universal design
• NYT,talking about the Obama campaignwelcome to
  the world of modern racismwhere most of the open
  animus/hatred has been replaced by shadowy bias
  that is more difficult to measure, reveal,
  disclose.

25
Leveraging resources--Iowa partnerships
and best practices Since the civil rights
celebrations of 2004 and 2005, ICRC began the
process of trying to bridge the silos by
asserting the common humanity with all Iowans and
acting on it. Iowa cannot afford to lose the
contributions of any Iowans, morally,
economically, socially, nor lose the dignity of
any member of our community.
26
1. Partnerships with VISTA2. Partnerships
with local commissions3. Partnerships with Legal
Aid4. Partnerships with membership groups
and the faith community 5. Partnerships
with state and federal agencies 6.
Partnerships with schools7. Stakeholder
partnerships 8. State fair9. Volunteer
attorneys
27
Partnerships

• Drake and U of I Law Schoolsstudents doing
  academic internships paid part-time work
  federal work study and volunteer programs
• Testing
• Research on cases
• Preliminary screening
• State Fair
• Partner with state and local agencies
• Partner with private sector
• Partner with Society for Human Resource
  Management

28
Partnering to achieve greater citizen
participation Convening community-wide hearings

• Local hearings in Council Bluffs, Des Moines,
  Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, and more recently,
  Storm Lake, Perry, Urbandale.
• Listen to Iowans speak out about civil
  rights/diversity. We receive feedback on what
  society or government can and should do (or not
  do) to better address civil rights and diversity
  issues. 
• Community Hearings solicit feedback and help
  identify areas of concern and provide an
  opportunity to receive suggestions on how Iowa
  can best reach its goal of being a welcoming
  stateof becoming a One Iowa.

29
Using partnerships to help overcome challenges
of misunderstanding, fear, and lack of
knowledge

• Award winning VISTA partnerships with local
  government, some state, nonprofit and faith
  communities
• See following site for sample of VISTA projects
  across Iowa
• http//www.leagueofiowahumanrights.com/vistaprojec
  tdetails.htm

30
State-federal partnership our AmeriCorps VISTA
program

• National and local award winning programs
• Serve as capacity builder to local human rights
  or civil rights organizations
• Distribute best practices of ending
  discrimination promoting diversity.
• Translation of documents
• Publish and distribute state and national trends
  and other research

31
Changing demographics-what can you do today?

• Diversity as an organizing point to create
  platform for a global economy. Vernon study
• Start community conversations. Many of you have.
  Celebrate strengths of community
• Increase number of cross cultural, cross
  generational events in your community. Vernon.

32

• Take leadership roles in your community.
• Include more people of diverse backgrounds as
  leaders in the mentoring, training, and
  development of leaders.
• Educate on diversity, laws on diversity and
  impact of negligence or lack of appreciation for
  these laws.
• Borrow from other Iowa communities on how they
  are developing more welcoming environments. Use
  non governmental entities. See our VISTA
  projects. http//www.adaiowa.webs.com/
• http//www.leagueofiowahumanrights.com/americorpsv
  istaproject.htm

33
Case Examples

• Housing-sex and family status
• Housing-harassment
• Employment - Sex and Retaliation
• Employment - Physical and Mental Disability
• Public Accommodation - Race
• Employment - Sexual Orientation
• Employment Pregnancy
• Employment Religion
• Education Sex and Retaliation
• Employment--Race