This week in Iowa organizing…
A lot happened last week and over the weekend, but after years of us here at the CCI office hearing about it from a certain someone, we're finally going to publicly acknowledge it - June 9 was CCI's own Hugh Espey's birthday.
I won't give the exact details, but Hugh started working at Iowa CCI the year I was born. Needless to say Hugh has been an asset to CCI, and working with countless everyday Iowans over the years he has been instrumental in building the people-powered organization we are today.
So Happy Birthday Hugh! If you want to give him any birthday wishes, sage advice, or a bunch of emails to sift through today, feel free to do so at hugh@iowacci.org.
Okay, let's get to it - please read on for ways to take action and other updates,
Matthew Covington
Strategic Operations Director
Take action
Senator Grassley - stand with independent beef producers!
US Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) began circulating this Joint Senate letter on Friday 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; we know when consumers know where their food is raised, they will choose to support America’s independent family farmers.
Senator Grassley needs to sign onto this letter; he 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 tough on competition issues, and signing onto the letter is one way he can go to bat for independent family farmers.
The letter will be sent Thursday, June 13, so we need to call Senator Grassley’s office TODAY. Please call Grassley's office at (202) 224-3744 and urge him to contact Senator Rounds’s office and sign onto the letter. Let us know how your call goes by replying to this email!
Kicking off 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 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 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 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
The City of Dubuque submitted an application to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a grant to purchase two mobile home parks and create a community land trust.
In recent years, residents of Table Mound and Terrace Heights mobile home parks have seen their lot rent more than doubled while basic maintenance was neglected and infrastructure improvements ignored. HUD can help stop this bleeding.
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 and know what benefits Dubuque can benefit other communities in our state.
Iowa's book ban heads to Appellate Court
Governor Reynolds' draconian book ban (Senate File 496), currently blocked by a federal judge, will be heard in an appellate court in Minnesota tomorrow, June 11.
Attorney General Brenna Bird's office will likely assert that the state government holds absolute authority when it comes to what children can or cannot read in school libraries. CCI, and countless other everyday Iowans reject this notion and embrace the freedom to read and learn.
SF 496 is the sixth case to be heard, with proceedings beginning at 9am on June 11.The public can livestream oral argument here: https://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/news/oral-argument-%E2%80%93-june-10-14-2024-public-access-number
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.
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:
A rarity: No state beaches have swim warnings [Iowa Capital Dispatch]
What frequent water main breaks say about America's aging infrastructure [PBS]
Have you tested your tap water?
We want to encourage testing your drinking water. A couple water testers in the Des Moines area reached out about high nitrate readings at the tap recently. Their tap water comes from the state's biggest public water utility.
Click here to join us in the citizen science of water testing!
It also got us thinking about well water. How is the water in rural areas faring with these heavy rains after years of drought?
The water testing group continues to grow. Getting a test kit is free and the strips are easy to use for a 30 second nitrate test. We meet monthly on Zoom for an hour to hear from a guest speaker and share what we are seeing with Iowa’s water.
The data shows clearly that it’s long past time to address Iowa’s water quality in a meaningful way. We need to keep building our collective power and keep getting louder about the science of Iowa’s polluted water.
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
Delays, denials, debt and the growing privatization of Medicare [The Guardian]
Caring for your loved ones is the nursing home industry's business, not its concern [Iowa Capital Dispatch]
The EATS Act is a gift for corporate ag (by CCI board president Barb Kalbach) [Indianola Advocate]
We need to accept outcomes we dislike [Bleeding Heartland]
Have no fear, Iowa, 'dynamic' tax cuts are here [Cedar Rapids Gazette]