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