Guest post by Vanessa Marcano-Kelly, who served as one of the Spanish-language interpreters for Gov. Kim Reynolds last year during her then-daily coronavirus press conferences. Since my informal community organizer/interpreter days, I was aware that my job as an...
Ghana Native Helps Other Iowa Immigrants Reach Their Dream at Evelyn K. Davis Center
Ahmed Agyeman is living his American Dream and works to help others achieve theirs. In June, the Ghana native was chosen to lead the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Urban Campus where he continues to do what he...
Venezuelan Immigrant Uses her Voice to Help Spanish-Speaking Iowans
Vanessa Marcano-Kelly of Des Moines played a key role during the pandemic as one of the Spanish interpreters for Gov. Kim Reynolds’ daily news conferences, making sure Spanish-speaking Iowans stayed informed on the public health situation. Fluent in English, Spanish,...
Thrane: Reynolds Wrong to Blame Immigrants
Some statements by Gov. Kim Reynolds make me question her level of knowledge about what happens on the US Southern Border. “Part of the problem is the Southern Border is open and we’ve got 88 countries that are coming across the border, and they don’t have vaccines so...
Midwest Dreamers Want Citizenship, not More Uncertainty
Although the latest federal ruling on DACA does not affect enrolled recipients, many of them are still frustrated by the program’s instability. “Every time this program is challenged, we feel that they are playing with us,” said Juan Antonio Garcia. “I would like for...
Meet Henny Ohr, an Advocate for Iowa’s Refugees
Henny Ohr has dedicated her life to empowering communities and showing what determination and caring for others can accomplish. She is the director and co-founder of Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center (EMBARC) in Des Moines. EMBARC is a nonprofit...
Enthusiasm, Hope Lead Latinx Immigrants In Iowa Rally On May 1st
“We are having another May 1st rally this year," Jose Alvarado told me a few months ago, about the event in support of immigration reform. During my conversation with Jose, I had a flashback from fifteen years ago, when I participated in “A Day Without Immigrants”...
Mistrust Of Vaccine In Communities Of Color Must Be Addressed
The moment was finally here! I was eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and I was ecstatic. The opportunity to feel some safety against the virus and gain some sort of normalcy was within reach. It has been more than a year since the pandemic started and we...
Reynolds’ Immigration Comments ‘Callous,’ Miss The Point, Advocates Say
America’s immigration surges are also an Iowa problem, say immigration experts, despite Gov. Kim Reynolds's recent admittal that she declined federal requests to accept migrant children in Iowa, noting their settlement in the U.S. is President Joe Biden’s "problem."...
Honoring Iowa’s Migrant And Farm Workers
This year has been a year of learning, of reflection, of putting things in perspective for many of us. Most of us learned about the importance of slowing down and to be grateful for what we have. We also learned to recognize other people’s important work and sacrifice...