This week in Iowa organizing…
From time to time, it's helpful to take a step back, decompress, and recharge. So that's what the CCI staff did last Tuesday!
We made a day trip up to CCI members Dean and Denise Biechler's Loya's Little House Bed and Breakfast just north of Ames. We took some time to hang out, be together, and enjoy each other’s company, but we also got to take a special prairie walk with Dean!
Dean told us about the regenerative practices they employ to be better stewards of the land - which has included returning much of the land to prairies and wetlands. He said he’s found the best approach to 'weeds' isn't necessarily fighting nature to eradicate them, but rather managing and coexisting with them.
Their son Peter prepared a fabulous meal to nourish our bodies and souls, and we got to hang out with some cows who nourish themselves by grazing sustainably. Oh, and I got to meet a new Cat Friend - his name is Spike.
We returned rejuvenated and ready to continue tackling the challenges ahead and putting people and the land before profits and polluters. Let's do it!
Matthew Covington (he/him)
Strategic Operations Director
Take action
This Thursday - May 25: Des Moines needs a Community Review Board!
CCI members in Des Moines have been working with the city council on implementing a Community Review Board (CRB) to address issues of racial profiling and police misconduct. We've been chipping away at this for years and now it's time to show up and show support!
Thursday, May 25 will be a meeting of the Des Moines Civil & Human Rights Commission (DMCHRC) and City Council. DMHCRC will be presenting on why we need a CRB, and give an idea of what that may look like.
We’ve heard this will primarily be just a presentation by the DMHCRC, but it’s still important they and the city council know that members of the community overwhelmingly support this.
Who: DSM City Council and the DMCHRC
Where: Municipal Services Center – 2nd Floor Board Room, 1551 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy
When: Thursday May 25 at 4:30pm
What: Come sit in on the meeting to show support for the implementation of a Community Review Board in our community.
May 31 - PHMSA coming to Des Moines
In April of 2023 the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued the second largest fine in its history to the CO2 pipeline company responsible for the disastrous rupture in Satartia, Mississippi.
That's why we're asking you to mark your calendar for Wednesday May 31 at 3pm (location to be announced) because PHMSA is coming to Des Moines.
PHMSA is responsible for creating safety regulations for CO2 pipelines and is on the record as saying they don't know enough about this boondoggle and that they need more time to learn more.
Here's how you can take action with us:
join us May 31 at 3pm in Des Moines to amplify our message to PHMSA
join a quick phone bank tomorrow (May 23) at 5pm to turn folks out on the 31st
let jake@iowacci.org know if you can help make art for the action on May 30, 5-7pm at the CCI office
We won't be guinea pigs so Summit, Navigator and Wolf can make billions of dollars on these dangerous projects. We need a moratorium on CO2 pipelines until federal safety regulations are created and we need PHMSA to use their platform to push for it.
June 8 - LGBTQ 101 Training
In the wake of a record legislative session of anti-LGBTQ policies and rhetoric, CCI Action is excited to be partnering with One Iowa to bring you their LGBTQ 101 Training.
One Iowa provides education and advocacy to improve LGBTQ lives and One Iowa Action, their 501(c)4 organization, is working hard to promote policies that protect LGBTQ Iowans.
Join us on June 8 at 6pm for a virtual training session where you will learn about:
LGBTQ identities and terminology
The social effects of the gender binary
Best practices for conversations with and about LGBTQ individuals
We believe that Iowans of all identities, abilities, and backgrounds deserve a place in our state where they feel safe, accepted, and supported. That's why we hope you can join us on June 8!
More information and RSVP for the online training here.
Family Farms Yes! Corporate Consolidation No!
For the past 15 years, National Family Farm Coalition and its member organizations (including CCI) have monitored the trend of corporations purchasing and consolidating farmland in the US and abroad.
Corporate - domestic and offshore - control of farmland undermines rural prosperity and autonomy, worsens inequities within and between rural communities, locks out new and beginning farmers, and contributes to a number of distressing environmental impacts. In all likelihood you have seen these impacts in your rural community in some form.
We believe Congress is long overdue for addressing the role of corporations in driving land consolidation in rural America. The 2023 Farm Bill is the best opportunity to take this action, and Congress does not need to start from scratch; there is a long history of state-based restrictions on corporate farmland ownership that federal policy can build on and strengthen.
Take a moment to email Senator Grassley about this today by clicking here!
Issue Updates
Elevance/Anthem BCBS - it's time to put 'Care Over Cost'
Earlier this month, CCI members paid a visit to the West Des Moines headquarters of Amerigroup, one of Iowa's for-profit Managed Care Organizations that oversees our state's privatized Medicaid program.
We went because Amerigroup's parent company is Elevance Health - aka Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Elevance held their annual shareholders' meeting on May 10 where they laid out the profits they've made - largely by denying their policyholders - folks like us - the care they need and deserve.
Our visit was one of 6 visits in 5 states to Elevance offices across the country demanding that they stop delaying and denying our care just in order to line their pockets. Add your voice to the thousands demanding Elevance CEO Gail Boudreaux meet with People's Action affiliates and put our lives before corporate profit. Learn more about our Care Over Cost campaign here.
August 19 - CCI Action's Summer Membership Meeting
On August 19 you'll want to be in the Des Moines metro to reconnect with friends and meet other CCI Action members from across the state for a day of information, inspiration, and action.
And we're excited to begin announcing featured speakers for the day, including:
Sarah Trone-Garriott, a faith leader, high-profile State Senator and progressive champion at the Iowa Statehouse
Sylvia Secchi, a well-known University of Iowa professor, fearless truth-teller and ally on clean water and CO2 pipeline issues
More speakers to be announced soon!
At this day-long meeting, we'll hear updates about our top-tier issue organizing campaigns, educate ourselves on some Iowa history and deepen connections with key allies in our fight for justice, and enjoy some good, local food!
Register today to save your spot!
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
With no anti-pipeline bill, what's next? [N'west Iowa Review]
U.S. officials say Iowa child labor bill does not comply with federal law [Iowa Capital Dispatch]
A U.S. Experiment on Single-Payer Care Just Ended [New York Times]
Did Being Called ‘Woke’ Cost This Iowa Teacher A Principal Job? [Iowa Starting Line]
Denials of health-insurance claims are rising - and getting weirder [Washington Post]
Iowan Isaac Campbell uses wheat paste art to help free hostages, honor a nun, share history [Des Moines Register]