Waterloo Schools pulled out of an event focused on promoting Black literacy over fears of losing federal funding under Trump’s new anti-DEI directives. In response, the 1619 Freedom School is stepping in to host its own event this Saturday.

On this special episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Waterloo native Nikole Hannah-Jones. She’s the founder of the 1619 School, and she believes this exactly the work the school was created to do.

“What’s so appalling to me is we know that there’s a gaping achievement gap in Waterloo. That’s why the 1619 Freedom School exists. We know that the typical black student in Waterloo reads at one to two grade levels behind the typical white student,” Hannah-Jones said. “That you would not be able to hand out a book for a child to take home that affirms that child’s identity, that is an ugly society that does something like that.”

1619 Freedom School will host a free Community African American Read-In on Saturday, March 15th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Waterloo West High School’s auditorium. The first 300 families attending Saturday’s event will receive tote bags containing books, including copies of “All Because You Matter.” The event is free and open to the public.

You can support the work of the 1619 Freedom School by donating here: https://www.1619freedomschool.org/donate

Guest:
Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine and creator of the landmark The 1619 Project, now a Hulu original docuseries.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

Iowa's farmers and food producers are facing a crisis that's been brewing behind the scenes at the US Department of Agriculture. Since President Donald Trump took office and his number two billionaire Elon Musk has been taking a club to federal programs, the consequences have been mounting.

And now Iowa food growers are left with the bill.

The USDA has frozen nearly $7 million in promised funding, leaving hundreds of local farms and food businesses in limbo during the critical spring planting season.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith speaks with Giselle Bruskewitz of Iowa Valley RC&D a group that administers the entire program that was to help build more resilient foodways, but now is leaving a lot of Iowans in the cold.

"It's a slap in the face. It's really devastating. It's the 11th hour. It’s past the 11th hour for some. The produce farmers already have seeds coming up in the greenhouses. The meat farmers have already booked locker dates,” Burskewitz said. “And so the sales projections and what these farmers have been planning all winter for this growing season is now putting them in a really precarious situation where they have to either find other markets.”

Join the conversation with Starting Line’s community editor Amie Rivers and Zach as they break down the what bills are dead and which bills shouldn’t be.

Links:
1. Iowa lawmakers introduced 1,500+ bills this session. Which survived the 'funnel' deadline? (Des Moines Register): https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/09/iowa-legislature-2025-funnel-week-dei-ban-medicaid-work-requirements-vaccines-abortion/78026470007/

2. Here are the bills that advanced during the Iowa Legislature's first deadline of 2025 (Iowa Public Radio): https://www.iowapublicradio.org/state-government-news/2025-03-07/here-are-the-bills-that-advanced-during-the-iowa-legislatures-first-deadline-of-2025

3. What bills are still moving at the Iowa Capitol this year? (The Gazette): https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/what-bills-still-are-moving-at-the-iowa-capitol-this-year/

Guest:
Giselle Bruskewitz is the program director at Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.