This week in Iowa organizing…
This upcoming Wednesday is Juneteenth, though many cities and towns across Iowa celebrated the holiday on Saturday. I know some CCI members were out at events meeting folks from Des Moines to Dubuque over the weekend (thank you!).
Juneteenth has deep historical roots though only being an official holiday since 2021. Juneteenth recognizes the day in 1865 - 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation - when a group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned about their freedom from slavery.
Emancipation and establishing clear democratic rights for Black Americans is a work-in-progress. The Black Freedom struggle continues today, as some politicians and judges try to roll back voting rights, advances in economic and social justice, and other rights gained since the Civil War.
It's up to us to remind ourselves and those that come after us that our work isn't finished. "An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere", and we all do better when we all do better.
Okay, let's get to it - please read on for ways to take action and other updates,
Matthew Covington
Strategic Operations Director
Take action
Deadline extended - Senator Grassley needs to support independent cattle farmers and consumers
US Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) extended his Joint Senate letter urging the Senate Ag Committee to include Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (MCOOL) in the 2024 Farm Bill. MCOOL would help level the playing field for independent beef producers and give consumers the knowledge to choose to support America’s independent family farmers.
Senator Grassley was a champion of COOL when it was first included in the 2002 Farm Bill. But he’s backed down big time because of corporate pressure. Grassley needs to get back to being bold on competition issues, and signing onto the letter is one way he can go to bat for independent family farmers.
Please call Sen. Grassley's office at (202) 224-3744 and urge him to contact Senator Rounds to sign onto the letter. Let us know how your call goes by replying to this email!
Kicking off Thursday, June 20: Barons Book Club
Nearly 400 of you joined us in March and April for a book talk with CCI member Austin Frerick and his debut book Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry. Now, let's talk about it!
Starting June 20 - this Thursday - we'll be hosting a book club over Zoom to dive deeper into Austin's book. Sign up to join us here!
We'll meet 3 times to discuss specific chapters of Barons. Join us for one or all of them! The discussion will be different each time (and the author may join us as well)!
RSVP today to stay in the loop! You can purchase the book or find audio book details on Austin's website here.
June 22: Eastern Iowa CCI meeting
Iowa CCI is back with another member meeting in eastern Iowa, and we want you there!
Please join us as we hear updates from CCI, hear about some of the work our friends at Escucha Mi Voz are doing, and share lots of good food (including brunch from Blue Bird Cafe!).
What: Eastern Iowa Member Meeting
When: Saturday, June 22nd, 10:00AM-11:30AM
Where: Community Meeting Room, Solon Public Library, 320 W Main St, Solon, IA 52333
Why: To hear updates on the work, ways to take action, and to get to know each other
RSVP to join us by registering here! We will have brunch foods and plenty of coffee. Please feel free to bring brunch items to share if you feel so inclined, and definitely bring your friends and family!
June 27: Safe Drinking Water Act webinar
Iowa CCI has signed onto a legal petition with the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take emergency action to protect our water.
After legal action from local groups last year, the EPA investigated Minnesota’s Karst Terrain and determined that action was needed to protect public health due to nitrates in the drinking water.
Join us on June 27 at 6:30PM to learn more about this legal petition and discuss ways to get involved in the fight for clean water. RSVP to join us here!
June 29: 'Origin' movie screening and discussion
Join Iowa CCI, Just Voices, and Des Moines SURJ for a showing of the 2023 Ava DuVernay movie Origin on Saturday, June 29 at 12:45pm in Des Moines at the Franklin Ave. Library.
Origin chronicles the tragedy and triumph of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson as she crosses continents and cultures to craft her book digging further into the history and origins of racism in America.
Following the movie will be a roundtable discussion, snacks and drinks will be provided. More information and RSVP at iowacci.org/origins or calling 515-255-0800.
Updates
Dubuque moves on community-owned housing
In recent years, residents of Table Mound and Terrace Heights mobile home parks in Dubuque have seen their lot rent more than doubled while basic maintenance was neglected and infrastructure improvements ignored.
That's why the City of Dubuque submitted an application to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a grant to purchase these parks and create a community land trust.
But it's not a done deal, and that's where you come in. Please sign our petition to HUD encouraging them to approve Dubuque's application. We want to show HUD that Iowans from all across the state support this effort!
Save the Date
August 10 - CCI Action's "People Power is How We Win" Summer Meeting!
Reconnect with old friends and make news ones on Saturday, August 10 in Ankeny for our annual Summer Meeting! If you’re concerned about CO2 pipelines, public education, clean water and more, this is the event for you. We’ll have fearless truth tellers, issue-based workshops, and tasty, local food!
Our theme this year is “People Power is How We Win." Here’s the basics:
What: “People Power is How We Win” Summer Meeting
When: Saturday, August 10, 9am – 3pm
Where: FFA Enrichment Center, DMACC campus in Ankeny
Who: CCI members, supporters, and folks from across the state ready to take action for our people and planet
Registration: $25 early bird rate until July 31 ($35 beginning Aug. 1) – register today to save your spot here!
Our keynote speaker this year will be Dr. James E. Ford. Dr. Ford is an award-winning world history teacher, community leader, and founder of the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) based in Charlotte, NC. He knows that attacks on our education aren’t new, but also believes in the power of people to rise up and fight for strong public education systems that prepare all students for their future and our communities.
More information, featured speakers, and RSVP here!
Water Talk
Let's talk about water! Below we have a selection of some stories that caught our eye relating to water quality and ways to take action for our water.
Articles of interest:
What the legislature did to address nitrate contamination in Minnesota groundwater [MinnPost]
Disastrous figures show the poverty of Iowa's water quality approach [Des Moines Register]
Don't miss our next monthly call at 5pm Thursday June 27!
Click here to register for the monthly Zoom where we will hear from Noah Poppelreiter, Iowa DNR Water Quality Monitoring & Assessment Supervisor, about the beach monitoring program.
The first DNR report on the state’s more than 40 monitored beaches had NO warnings against swimming because of unsafe bacteria or toxins. This did not happen during the monitoring season last year. Can it continue this year?
Please continue testing your drinking water. If you have had or do have a reading at 10 or higher at the tap - inform your water provider right away. EPA has set an enforceable standard for nitrates in drinking water at 10 ppm. All public water supplies must abide by these regulations.
Don't forget to register for our call at 5pm on June 27!
Thanks for testing water with the CCI Nitrate Watch program!
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
The Rev. James Lawson, key architect of the Civil Rights Movement, dies at 95 [NPR]
Farmers and consumers demand country of origin labeling be included in Farm Bill [Missouri Independent]
Corporate landlords' profits soar as tenants drown in rent hikes and fees [Common Dreams]
Iowa City's Teach Truth day of action 2024 [Bleeding Heartland]
'Green' ethanol, biodiesel plants release harmful pollutants, environmental group reports [Des Moines Register]