The 25th Anniversary Celebration

As the fiscal year drew to a close, plans were nearly complete for the Conunission's 25th Anniversary Celebration, to be held July 19-22, 1990. The Planning Committee, which was appointed by the Governor, has been working for many months to put together a program that would be representative of Iowa's heritage and leadership in civil rights. The committee has also been actively seeking donations for the celebration.

The events of the celebration will commemorate the formation of the Commission, and will also highlight the diversity of the racial, ethnic and religious groups that are part of our heritage in Iowa.

"Celebration of Civil Rights: An Iowa Tradition," was the theme chosen for the celebration. A competition for art students to design an anniversary logo was held, and the winning design by Shauna Ezell of Drake University, Des Moines, is on the cover of this report. Another pre-celebration event was a banner contest for all Iowa social studies students in grades six through 12. The winning banners will be displayed at the celebration events.


The festivities will begin on Thursday, July 19, 1990, with the signing of a Civil Rights Proclamation by Governor Terry E. Branstad. The same day the Commission will hold its monthly meeting at the State Capitol.

A Civil Rights Conference will open Friday evening, July 20,with a keynote speech by Sharon Rodine, president of the National Women's Political Caucus. This will take place at the State Historical Building, with a reception to follow the speech. The conference will continue all day Saturday, with the focus on the classes protected by the Iowa Civil Rights Act, and the historical treatment of these groups in Iowa and the United States.

 

Concurrent with the conference on Saturday, and continuing on Sunday afternoon, will be a cultural fair and civil rights exhibits. Arts, crafts and ethnic foods will be on display and available for purchase, and many groups will entertain with music, dancing and drama.

 

The celebration will culminate on Sunday evening with a civil rights march from the Iowa Historical Building to the State Capitol. A rally will be held on the west steps of the Capitol, where the keynote speaker will be Martin Luther King, III.

 

The Commission anticipates that the celebration will be a joyous time and hopes that all citizens of Iowa will join in commemorating the past and in renewed dedication to the future protection of the rights of all Iowans.


Governor Branstad's Planning Committee

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Twenty-Fifth Anniversary

Celebration of Civil Rights: An Iowa Tradition





From Around the State:
Orlando Ray Dial, Waterloo
Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, Burlington
Priscilla Hofert, Council Bluffs
W. H. Knight, Jr., Iowa City
James Lynch, Adel
Frank Marcovis, Clive
Dolores G. Nesbitt, Iowa City
Maria Pearson, Ames
Abigail Pumroy, Cedar Rapids
Ken Robinson, Bayard
Mary E. Robinson, Cedar Rapids
John Stokes, Sioux City
Marilyn Tallman, Ames


From Des Moines:
Dr. Lenola Allen-Sommerville
Monroe Colston
Mrs. Willie Glanton
Gretchen Hamlett
Joan Hartsuck
Don Hauser
Cynthia Henderson
Harlan Hockenberg
Russell Lovell
Chris Michalek
Lisa Nakashima
The Honorable Linka K. Neuman
Ila Plasencia
Jewel Slick
Mary Louise Smith
Marc Solomon
Jerome Thompson
Evelyne Villines


Iowa Civil Rights Commission:
Inga Bumbary-Langston
Jan Alderton
Carol Anne Leach
Sheryl Eckhardt
Genie Roeder
Linda Ross
Karl Schilling
Commission Support Staff

1990 Annual Main Page