House Resolution 41 - Introduced PAG LIN H.R. ________ S.R. ________ 1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY BERRY, ABDUL=SAMAD, FORD, T. OLSON, LENSING, 1 3 COHOON, WENDT, KELLEY, H. MILLER, KRESSIG, 1 4 GAYMAN, and JACOBY 1 5 A Resolution recognizing the Ongoing Covenant With 1 6 Black Iowa Initiative for its role in improving 1 7 the life and the future of Black Iowans. 1 8 WHEREAS, the Ongoing Covenant With Black Iowa has 1 9 its origins in the New York Times bestseller: "The 1 10 Covenant With Black America" by the noted author and 1 11 commentator Tavis Smiley; and 1 12 WHEREAS, this book is a rich collection of essays 1 13 that plot a course for Black Americans, explaining how 1 14 individuals and households can make changes that will 1 15 immediately improve their circumstances in areas 1 16 ranging from health and education to crime reduction 1 17 and financial well=being; and 1 18 WHEREAS, as envisioned for Iowa, the Ongoing 1 19 Covenant Initiative is a strategic initiative designed 1 20 to organize Black Iowans in various communities around 1 21 critical issues such as the widening education gap, 1 22 economic deprivation and disempowerment, and the 1 23 hopelessness of youth; and 1 24 WHEREAS, the Ongoing Covenant Initiative involves 1 25 Black community leaders identifying, recruiting, and 1 26 organizing individuals within the nine target 1 27 communities where significant numbers of Black Iowans 1 28 reside: Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, 1 29 Fort Dodge, Fort Madison/Burlington, Iowa City, Sioux 1 30 City, and Waterloo; and 2 1 WHEREAS, each participating community will 2 2 establish a leadership group to plan and develop 2 3 strategies in eight critical focus areas: economic 2 4 development, education, health care, housing, justice, 2 5 political involvement, spirituality, and youth; and 2 6 WHEREAS, the Iowa Commission on the Status of 2 7 African=Americans will then coalesce these plans into 2 8 a comprehensive state plan that can be used to 2 9 increase communication between Black Iowans, the 2 10 Governor's office, legislators, judges, and local 2 11 officials; and 2 12 WHEREAS, Mr. Abraham Funchess, Jr., an ordained 2 13 Methodist minister who serves as the director of the 2 14 Iowa Commission on the Status of African=Americans, is 2 15 the administrator of the Ongoing Covenant Initiative; 2 16 NOW THEREFORE, 2 17 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2 18 That the House of Representatives recognizes the 2 19 Ongoing Covenant With Black Iowa as a valuable program 2 20 to improve the life and future of Black Iowans, and 2 21 thanks the Iowa Commission on the Status of 2 22 African=Americans and all those persons who 2 23 participated in the creation of the Ongoing Covenant 2 24 Initiative. 2 25 LSB 2875HH 82 2 26 jr:nh/je/5