A cartoon depicting housing discrimination is shown.

Fair Housing Month recognized by Office of Equity & Human Rights

Thursday, April 8, 2021 - 10:00am
Contact: 
Kristin Watson
Equity and Human Rights

Fair Housing Month is an annual, month-long celebration of the signing of the Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968, by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Office of Equity and Human Rights is recognizing the month in a variety of ways.

Utility bills will include an insert explaining a person’s fair housing rights in Iowa City. A video training eligible for certification of one hour of fair housing training is available 24/7 online . Finally, in collaboration...
A graphic with cartoon humans of different skin colors used to promote the City's Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant.

City announces SJRE grant recipients for FY21

Wednesday, April 7, 2021 - 10:00am
Contact: 
Stefanie Bowers
Equity and Human Rights

In 2017, the City Council created the Social Justice and Racial Equity (SJRE) Grant to assist community-based organizations in building capacity to address social justice and racial equity needs. In Fiscal Year 2019, the City tripled the SJRE Grant funding, allocating it $75,000 yearly since then.

The grant is available to for-profit and non-profit Iowa City-based organizations to fund programs, activities, or services that help eliminate inequities in the community. The grant lists six priority service areas: education, building community, housing, criminal justice, health, and...

A graphic promoting Ripples of Hope at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

Learn about mental health services during this April 14 virtual program

Monday, April 5, 2021 - 9:00am
Equity and Human Rights

Leslie Carpenter will share her family’s journey into advocacy after their son became ill with a serious brain illness. Learn how the Family to Family class offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) helped her to see the broader mental illness treatment crisis in our country, and share some of the solutions that can help.

Carpenter is a NAMI Johnson County Board member, teaches Family to Family, Ending The Silence, and Provider Training. Leslie and husband, Scott, are advocates for people living with serious brain disorder at the local, state, and federal levels,...

Graphic for Inside Out event on the impact of incarceration on Children and Families.

Inside Out Reentry event offers information on how families are impacted by incarceration

Monday, March 29, 2021 - 1:15pm
Equity and Human Rights

Inside Out Reentry Community presents Unheard Voices, a forum to discuss the hidden impacts of incarceration and reentry on children, partners, and family members. These groups often face challenges finding support for their situation, as well as the effects of the societal stigma surrounding incarceration.

This virtual forum will be held on Thursday, April 22 from noon to 2 pm. You can register at: bit.ly/IOVoices .

The event will feature a panel of service providers who will...

Applicants sought for open seats on the TRC

Monday, March 29, 2021 - 9:30am
Contact: 
Stefanie Bowers
City Clerk

The Iowa City City Council is seeking applicants to fill four vacancies on the Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). These vacancies will serve from appointment date until June 30, 2022.

Duties of the TRC involve fact-finding, truth-telling, and reconciliation. The TRC shall have members who are representative of the City’s BIPOC communities and organizations, including those who have direct lived experience with systemic racism, as well as experts who support those communities. To the extent possible, as determined by the City Council, the TRC shall include...

ICHRC Statement in Support of the AAPI Community

Iowa City Human Rights Commission Releases Statement in Support of the AAPI Community

Sunday, March 28, 2021 - 3:30pm
Contact: 
Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator (ex officio)
Equity and Human Rights

The Iowa City Human Rights Commission stands in solidarity with our Asian American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Pan Asian community members. The shootings in Atlanta were acts of race and gender-based violence that reflect an ongoing trend of increased discrimination and violence toward the AAPI community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission condemns these acts of violence and the hateful rhetoric that fuels them.

As human rights advocates, we choose to center the victims and those impacted by these acts of violence in our conversations while we continue our work to...

Office of Equity and Human Rights issues memo on alternatives to eviction

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 - 10:30am
Contact: 
Kristin Watson
Equity and Human Rights

The City's Office of Equity and Human Rights has written a memo to provide guidance to Iowa City landlords on alternatives to eviction.

If you have questions regarding topics addressed in this memorandum, or your rights and responsibilities in general, please call the office at 319-356-5015.

Learn more about this subject by reading the full memo .

UAY announces 6th Annual PrideCon for LGBTQ+ youth

Friday, March 5, 2021 - 1:00pm
Contact: 
Stefanie Bowers
Equity and Human Rights

During the week of March 15-20, 2021, United Action for Youth (UAY) will be offering a series of virtual workshops to junior high and high school youth who identify as LGBTQ+. The workshops will be focused on self-care and will be fun, light-hearted, and engaging.

UAY will also be offering a virtual ParentCon for parents of LGBTQ+ youth where they can ask questions, learn about resources, and talk to doctors.

There is no charge to participate in these events. Learn more about PrideCon workshops and register by...

A photo of puzzle pieces being held into the air.

Ripples of Hope: From Despair to Advocacy for the Social Injustice too Few People Know About

Monday, March 1, 2021 - 4:30pm
Contact: 
Stefanie Bowers
Equity and Human Rights

Leslie Carpenter will share her family’s journey into advocacy after their son became ill with a serious brain illness. Learn how the Family to Family class offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) helped her to see the broader mental illness treatment crisis in our country, and share some of the solutions that can help.

Carpenter is a NAMI Johnson County Board member, teaches Family to Family, Ending The Silence, and Provider Training. Leslie and husband, Scott, are advocates for people living with serious brain disorder at the local, state, and federal levels,...

The logo for International Women's Day.

Celebrate International Women's Day with Night of 1000 Dinners on March 10

Monday, February 22, 2021 - 8:45am
Equity and Human Rights

Night of 1000 Dinners, a virtual community celebration of International Women’s Day, will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, via Zoom. The event is hosted by the Johnson County Chapter of the United Nations Association and 21 co-sponsoring organizations.

International Women’s Day honors the achievements and contributions of women worldwide. The Johnson County celebration will recognize three local organizations founded by, led by, and/or serving women who are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The groups to be honored are the Domestic Violence...

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