IV. A CLIMATE OF CHANGE
Overview
The past few years have evidenced a time of change in many policies designed
for dealing on many levels with
the problems facing racial (and
other) minorities in Iowa and across the nation. This chapter is a brief
summation of some of the more significant constructive developments in the
struggle to achieve equality. It is by no means an exhaustive listing of
the many worthwhile efforts being made by agencies, organizations, and concerned
individuals in our state. The Commission salutes these efforts and charges
the principals involved with doing even better in the months and years to
come.
Governor Hughes
Personal Visits to Slum Areas: During the summer of 1967, Governor Hughes
made several unannounced personal visits to Negro slum areas in major cities
across the state. In his straightforward style of calling things as he sees
them, Hughes immediately afterwards called public attention to the general
plight and concerns of minorities. At various times thereafter, he specifically
called on the Iowa State Employment Service, private industry, and city
officials to cope productively with various problems within the minority
community. The positive results of these efforts may be attested to in the
discussion below of community improvement projects and the Cities' Task
Force for Community Relations.
Executive Order No. 9: Setting a tone of positive action in assuring nondiscrimination
in state employment and other phases of state business, Governor Hughes
issued Executive Order No. 9 in October of 1967. In it he declared that
the official state policy is equal opportunity in such matters as employment
recruiting, employment referrals, educational and vocational guidance programs
(including counseling and testing), contract letting, and licensing regulations.
He called on state agencies to report to him annually regarding their specific
efforts to implement the order. Moreover, he directed them to cooperate
with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in its programs to combat discrimination.
The General Assembly
Passage of the Fair Housing Law: A key legislative contribution to equal
opportunity was the fair housing law which was passed in 1967. That law,
which is spelled out in detail in the foregoing chapter on Compliance, adds
housing discrimination to the Commission's jurisdiction.
Commission Authority to Receive Gifts: Another amendment in 1967 to the
Iowa Civil Rights Act specifically granted authority to the Commission to
receive and expend voluntary contributions and any grants awarded for furthering
the purposes of the Act.
Commission Budget Increased: Moreover, the General Assembly almost tripled
the Commission's annual budget, raising it from $31,900 to $85,000. The
higher budget has made it possible to add a much-needed research-and-education
specialist and two additional investigators to the Commission staff
State Agencies
Employment Service: The past year or so has evidenced a major shift in the
Iowa State Employment Service's sensitivity toward employment problems of
minorities. For example, a state supervisor of services to minority groups
was appointed early in 1966 to advise the Employment Service's administration
and staff on civil rights matters and to investigate any possible discrimination
in matters involving the Employment Service. Extensive attention has been
given by this supervisor to in-service training to enable Employment Service
administrators and staff members to recognize and to deal constructively
with discrimination and intercultural tension. In this connection, a civil
rights handbook was recently prepared by the minority-group specialist as
a comprehensive guideline for use in the field in dealing with problems
of discriminatory job orders and illegal employment practices.
The Employment Service has cooperated with the Commission in referring to
it allegedly discriminatory job orders placed with the local Employment
Service interviewers. Moreover, three local Employment Service offices have
assigned interviewers on a full-time basis as minority job developers in
geographical areas of high concentrations of Negroes or Indians. (The Des
Moines and Marshalltown offices each has one such interviewer, while the
Sioux City office has two). Consequently, the Employment Service's record
in non-white employment placements has increased markedly over the past
few months. For example, a total of 617 non-whites was placed in October
of 1967!
Manpower Development Council: The Iowa State Manpower Development Council,
a federally-funded three-year project operating as a coordinating agency
in all phases of manpower resources in the state, has continually employed
at least one professional assigned specifically to minority employment problems.
The Council, as a whole, also has undertaken a number of innovative programs
which have generally benefited racial minorities.
A partial listing of Manpower projects include administration of the Governor's
Dropout Program (involving an on-going comprehensive attempt to get high
school dropouts back into school, into job-training, into vocational schools,
or into a meaningful job); coordination of the Governor's Guest Project
(involving an attempt to acquaint disadvantaged youths from Des Moines and
Waterloo with state governmental processes and officials); administration
of Community Improvement, Inc. (a private industry-financed summer employment
project for youth); and administration of a federal contract for on-the-job
training (which placed several non-whites in jobs and job training opportunities
in Des Moines).
The Manpower Council also has taken an activist role in the apprenticeship
field, having sponsored an equal opportunity, non- union pre-apprenticeship
school for bricklayers. The Council also has devised a number of creative
ways of disseminating apprenticeship and general manpower information, including
maintenance of a mobile manpower information center and publication of a
resource book, "Opportunities in Apprenticeship and Skilled Trades
in Iowa."
Real Estate Commission: The Iowa Real Estate Commission has taken two concrete
steps to aid in the monumental task of making the new fair housing law workable
and effective. First, that Commission included in its 1967 annual mailing
of real estate license applications and renewals a flier (prepared by the
Iowa Civil Rights Commission) explaining the provisions of the housing law
and the various means for enforcing it. Moreover, the Real Estate Commission
has included questions about the housing law on its most recent examination
for new applicants for licenses.
Attorney General's Office: The Attorney General's office deserves mention
here for its continued cooperation in providing legal counsel for the Civil
Rights Commission.
Municipal Government
Cities' Task Force for Community Relations: Prompted by Governor Hughes,
the Large Cities' Group of the League of Municipalities and representatives
of minority groups formed a state-wide Task Force in August of 1967 to formulate
"an on-going action program for bettering human relations and furthering
equality of citizenship in Iowa communities." Included in the Task
Force's subsequent recommendations to municipalities for voluntary implementation
on the local level were the following: stricter enforcement of existing
housing codes; strong municipal fair housing ordinances; municipal human
rights commissions with paid, professional staffs; in-service intergroup
relations training for municipal police forces; active recruitment of Negroes
for law enforcement; and increased emphasis on urban problems in University
Extension programs and adult education programs. Commission Director Thomas
is a member of the Task Force's subcommittee on housing.
Federal Agencies
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: The Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer
Title VII of that Act. That title prohibits employers and unions in industries
affected by interstate commerce (and all employment agencies which serve
them) from discriminating because of race, color, national origin, religion,
and sex, except in those jobs where sex or religion is a bona fide occupational
qualification. The Commission is charged with investigating complaints of
discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion, wages, layoffs, use of facilities
on the job, and employer or union limitation or segregation of employees
according to race, color, national origin, religion, or sex. The Commission
has no enforcement powers, relying on voluntary compliance through mediation
and conciliation. It does, however, maintain close liaison with the Office
of Federal Contract Compliance, which has authority to withhold federal
funds from discriminatory companies or other concerns. Moreover, the Commission
may request the Attorney General to initiate legal action against discriminatory
concerns.
The EEOC maintains close working ties with the Iowa Commission, as it does
with the civil rights commissions of other states. For example, the EEOC
defers cases to the Iowa Commission when the alleged offense is also under
the jurisdiction of Iowa law. On the other hand, the Iowa Commission refers
sex discrimination cases to the EEOC. By the terms of another memorandum
of understanding, the EEOC shares, upon request, information on the racial
complexion of particular companies' work forces. This information is gleaned
from EEO-l reports required annually by all companies with 25 or more employees
or those holding federal contracts.
Office of Federal Contract Compliance: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance
(OFCC) was formed in 1965 as a unit of the Department of Labor to enforce
Executive Order 11246, which forbids discrimination in employment in federally
assisted projects and in contracts and subcontracts let by the federal government.
Its main weapon is the authority to withhold federal funds from any concern
which maintains discriminatory employment practices.
The OFCC compliance review investigators generally contact the Commission
office when they are in this area to review the employment practices of
local companies. The investigators like to be briefed on the local (general
and minority) employment situation, and the Commission wants to be kept
up to date on official developments involving local companies holding federal
contracts.
Commission on Civil Rights: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which was
initially established in 1957, obtained greater responsibilities under the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Commission, as a research body with no enforcement
powers, is the national clearinghouse for civil rights information. In this
capacity, it collects, publishes, and disseminates information designed
to promote a better understanding of constitutional and federal statutory
requirements relating to civil rights. It also makes recommendations for
corrective action to the President and to the Congress.
The Commission's primary focus presently is on defacto school segregation
and general lack of equality of educational opportunity, especially in the
northern states. The Commission recently sponsored a nationwide conference,
which was attended by the Iowa Commission's research-and-education director,
to focus upon the problem of racial isolation in the schools and the corresponding
unequal educational opportunity.
The Commission also maintains state advisory committees in each state. The
uncompensated members of these committees inform the Commission of civil
rights matters in their communities and disseminate information about federal
laws and programs. Iowa Civil Rights Commissioner Boles is the chairman
of the Iowa advisory committee. That committee published a report in 1964,
entitled "Report on Urban Renewal Programs and Their Effects on Racial
Minority Group Housing in Three Iowa Cities."
Community Relations Service: The Community Relations Service, a branch of
the Department of Justice, was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to
help communities and individuals resolve disputes, disagreements and difficulties
arising from discriminatory practices based upon race, color, or national
origin. The Service also helps communities to develop local programs geared
to prevent racial crises. Although generally working quietly in the background,
the Service seeks and uses the cooperation of appropriate state or local,
public or private agencies.
The Service maintains a branch for liaison with state civil rights commissions,
which has been most helpful in the Iowa Commission's affirmative action
programming. The Service's films, posters, and pamphlets have been used,
for example, in such projects as the conducting of in-service training for
policemen, educators and school administrators, and state employment service
personnel.
Federal Executive Council of Greater
Des Moines: The Federal Executive Council of Greater Des Moines, comprised
of heads of federal agencies in Des Moines, designated an Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO) Committee in 1965. The EEO Committee is comprised of selected
personnel from major operating agencies (federal, state, and local) who
get together during a monthly luncheon to discuss, implement, motivate,
evaluate, and, in general, strive toward improvement of attitudes, capabilities,
and assistance for all employees. Commission Director Thomas is a member
of this committee.
The EEO Committee's objectives for the upcoming calendar year include (a)
development and sponsorship, through the Federal Executive Council, of an
in-service training seminar on equal employment for departmental heads in
federal agencies; (b) development of a publication demonstrating the achievements
of minority individuals employed locally by federal agencies; (c) arrange
for local visits by minority individuals to federal agencies to stimulate
desire on their part to qualify for and apply for federal employment; and
(d) provide counseling and speaker service to identify, inform, and invite
individuals, especially minorities, who might be interested either in applying
for positions in the federal government requiring little or no experience
or in qualifying themselves further for more responsible positions.
Department of Labor: The United States Department of Labor issued a general
directive in June of 1966 that the appropriate state officials must take
the necessary steps to make sure that Negroes and other minority groups
are made aware of job training programs undertaken with federal funds. Moreover,
the directive stated that at least one-third of the trainees in federally-
financed training programs must be non-white (unless it could be demonstrated
that peculiar local circumstances would make such a non-white ratio reasonably
impossible).
A union-sponsored, federally-financed pre-apprenticeship course on bricklaying
scheduled in Des Moines in the spring of 1967 was canceled when the union
refused to accept a third Negro in the class of fifteen. The union then
financed its own course. A non-union course, with several Negroes enrolled,
was then federally financed under the supervision of the Iowa Manpower Development
Council.
Selective Service System: The Selective Service System's national headquarters
reportedly issued a directive in the summer of 1967 to place qualified Negroes
on local draft boards. The state director of selective service was quoted
in October of 1967, to wit: "As a matter of policy, we are appointing
Negroes to draft boards in Des Moines, Waterloo, Davenport, and Cedar Rapids
-- and any industrial area that has any semblance of Negro population."
Any appointments can only occur when there is a vacancy.
Negroes have already been appointed to a number of local boards. Moreover,
a Negro has been named as the medical representative on one of the two state
appeal boards, and another Negro has been named as an appeal agent for the
Scott County Selective Service Board.
Citizens Groups
"Know Your Neighbor" Panel: A unique way of attempting to combat
discrimination has been the efforts by the celebrated "Know Your Neighbor"
panel of Iowa housewives. The panel, which began in 1960 with six members,
consists of fifteen women of widely different background. Representing a
broad cross section of racial, ethnic, cultural, national origin, and religious
characteristics, the individual panel members share the common belief that
barriers of prejudice in American society can be and must be broken down.
Five members, together with the moderator, operate as a team in public appearances.
Each panel member individually tells of her personal experiences in being
discriminated against and in observing discrimination against others. Then
the panel as a whole discusses how discrimination can be eliminated. Most
of the panel's appearances thus far have been before chambers of commerce,
P.T.A.'s, educational groups, and women's organizations. Commissioners Goldman
and Kruidenier are members of this group.
Negro Heritage Series: During the summer of 1967, about fifty people formed
a group -- Progressive Young Negro Enterprises -dedicated to upgrading the
general Negro image. An early program has included a series of eleven weekly
lectures and seminars on Negro history, culture, and contributions. The
series is designed to develop Negro pride and to foster better interracial
relations. The lectures, which began in November of 1967, are held in the
Des Moines YMCA, and are free to the public.
Big Brothers Chapter: A local chapter of Big Brothers of America was developed
in Des Moines in November of 1967. The idea of the program is for the adult
Big Brothers to befriend the Little Brothers, who are boys lacking a father
in the home. Although this is a general program, it has particular applicability
to minority children because of the tendency toward unstable family relations
among minorities.
Private Industry
Summer Employment in Community Projects: Prompted by Governor Hughes, businessmen
in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Sioux City, and Waterloo financed
community improvement projects in the closing weeks of the summer of 1967.
Statistics on the Des Moines project follow. A total of 500 youngsters worked
in such public projects as general maintenance, traffic counting, general
office, and removal of Dutch Elm-diseased trees. The majority of
the kids were: nonwhite, 14 to 16 years old, male, and from low-income families.
The employment program is continuing on a limited basis during the school
year with work available on Saturdays and after school. Moreover, the employment
program has been supplemented by an educational program consisting of weekly
sessions with the kids on such things as communication skills, grooming,
training in job applications and job interviews, and educational and career
opportunities. Commission Director Thomas is an advisor to the educational
program.
Plans for Progress: Several companies in Des Moines, and elsewhere in the
state, have joined Plans for Progress, a national voluntary organization
of major employers pledged to promoting and implementing equal employment
opportunity. Plans for Progress companies are to take the initiative among
business and industry in carrying out affirmative action policies and projects
to end discrimination and increase job opportunities for minorities. Some
programs on a national level include: a national communications campaign
designed to convince minority youth of the vital importance of getting a
good education and taking advantage of increasing career opportunities in
business; national and regional educational conferences stressing the importance
and mechanics of equal employment opportunity; and conferences with administrators
of minority colleges to explore Plans for Progress aid in strengthening
those colleges, especially in the fields of vocational guidance and placement
liaison.
Merit Employers Council: The Plans for Progress organization encourages
the formation of voluntary employer associations or merit employment councils
on the local level. One such group is the Greater Des Moines Merit Employers
Council. That group recently sponsored a series of job opportunity seminars
to inform minority and disadvantaged youths of the qualifications required
to take advantage of the various job opportunities available in the Des
Moines area. At the seminars(which were conveniently held in churches and
neighborhood centers), information was presented by members of seven major
industry groups regarding various job opportunities, job requirements, training
programs, and employment procedures.
Insurance Company's Scholarship for Non-White: One company's particular
efforts deserve mention. The American Republic Insurance Company recently
announced a new college scholarship program with one of the two annual
recipients to be nonwhite. The program calls for full-time, company-sponsored
college education during the school terms and full-time employment with
the insurance company during the summers. Recipients are not required to
work for the company after graduation.
Commission Liaison
Overview: The past several months have evidenced an increasing acceptance
of the Commission as a state agency concerned with human resources on a
broad scale. Moreover, Commission personnel have taken an increasingly more
active part in civil rights related activities in the state and across the
nation. Specific examples follow:
Director's Ex Officio Memberships: The Commission Director, in his official
capacity, is a member of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission; the
Cities' Task Force for Community Relations' housing subcommittee; and the
Cooperative Area Manpower Planning System. He also is a member of advisory
committees to such organizations as Community Improvement, Inc.; the Federal
Executive Council of Greater Des Moines; and the Iowa Crime Commission.
Participation in Conferences: Various commissioners and staff members have
attended the following national or regional conferences: (a) Freedom of
Residence Conference, held in Chicago in February of 1966; (b) Unions' Consultative
Conference on Implementation of Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of
1964, held in Chicago in April of 1966; (c) White House Conference "To
Fulfill These Rights," held in Washington D.C., in June of 1966; (d)
Conference of State Human Rights Commissions, held in Estes Park, Colorado,
in July of 1966; (e) Regional
Manpower Conference, held in Ames in October of 1966; (f) Fair Lane Conference
"Promise vs. Performance," held in Dearborn, Michigan, in May
of 1967; (g) Social Security-Sponsored Equal Employment Opportunity Seminar,
held in Kansas City in June of 1967; (h) EEOC Sponsored Regional Conference
on Compliance Investigation, held in Kansas City in June of 1967; (1) Conference
of State Human Rights Commissions, held in Toronto, Canada, in July of 1967;
and (j) Race and Education Conference, held in Washington, D.C., in November
of 1967.
Governor's Expedition of State
Officials: The Commission Director was included in the select list of state
officials who accompanied Governor Hughes on an intergovernmental mission
to Washington, D.C., in October of 1967. The state officials visited individually
with their federal counterparts, and participated together in general briefing
sessions on problems of common administrative concern.
Summary
In conclusion, several agencies, organizations, and individuals have contributed
to a positive climate in intergroup relations in Iowa during the past two
and one-half years. In this connection, a number of specific efforts, projects,
and programs were undertaken to alleviate discrimination, prejudice, and
intergroup and intercultural tensions. That constructive efforts of this
sort must continue in the future should become evident from the discussion
in the next chapter of some of the many unresolved problems in intergroup
relations in our state.