Reynolds and Trump's anti-DEI policies have birthed a new, unwelcome DEI: Driving Expertise (or Everyone) from Iowa.
The state now appears hostile to its nearly million-strong racial and cultural minority communities, including some 240,000 Latinos, 140,000 Black individuals, at least 100,000 LGBTQ+ Iowans, and over 400,000 members of the disability community, plus other non-white Iowans. This contrasts sharply with how Iowa aggressively courts its 153,680 farm producers and 71,748 agricultural workers—also a minority, but one the state desperately wants to retain. (I will let others discuss the interplay between minority employees who our farm sector depends upon).
Iowa rolls out red carpets for certain minority populations while systematically alienating everyone else. Farm subsidies flow freely, agricultural tax breaks multiply, and rural development funds pour in.
But mention diversity programs for racial minorities or protections for LGBTQ+ Iowans, and suddenly "government overreach" becomes the rallying cry.
This isn't about supporting ag–there is plenty of debate on what are the best Ag policies for Iowa.. This is about Iowa's selectivity in which minorities deserve welcome and which deserve hostility. The state's message couldn't be clearer: some minorities deserve government programs, others don't.
And this is not an either/or situation. There are plenty of Iowans who are creative and welcoming to have the right climate for racial and cultural minorities and for many types of farming and Ag-related business
Reynolds and Trump's anti-DEI policies have birthed a new, unwelcome DEI: Driving Expertise (or Everyone) from Iowa.
The state now appears hostile to its nearly million-strong racial and cultural minority communities, including some 240,000 Latinos, 140,000 Black individuals, at least 100,000 LGBTQ+ Iowans, and over 400,000 members of the disability community, plus other non-white Iowans. This contrasts sharply with how Iowa aggressively courts its 153,680 farm producers and 71,748 agricultural workers—also a minority, but one the state desperately wants to retain. (I will let others discuss the interplay between minority employees who our farm sector depends upon).
Iowa rolls out red carpets for certain minority populations while systematically alienating everyone else. Farm subsidies flow freely, agricultural tax breaks multiply, and rural development funds pour in.
But mention diversity programs for racial minorities or protections for LGBTQ+ Iowans, and suddenly "government overreach" becomes the rallying cry.
This isn't about supporting ag–there is plenty of debate on what are the best Ag policies for Iowa.. This is about Iowa's selectivity in which minorities deserve welcome and which deserve hostility. The state's message couldn't be clearer: some minorities deserve government programs, others don't.
And this is not an either/or situation. There are plenty of Iowans who are creative and welcoming to have the right climate for racial and cultural minorities and for many types of farming and Ag-related business
Your Rights We Despise, White Male Privilege We Defend.