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Some Black Churches in Iowa Reviewing Security Plans

Richard Brent Turner, a professor at the University of Iowa, says there were police cars parked outside Iowa City's Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church late last week.

A tragic shooting last week in Charleston, South Carolina at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church left nine people dead and added fuel to conversations over racial relations in the U.S. After the incident, some historically black churches in Iowa are reviewing security plans and changing the way they think about greeting newcomers.

“At our church, we watch for people we know and make sure they are with other people we know,” says Arnold Woods Jr., a deacon at Faith Missionary Baptist Church and President of the Des Moines NAACP. “We do have the doors locked and are self-policing.”

During this River to River segment, host Ben Kieffer talks with Woods and Richard Brent Turner, who is a professor of African American religious history at the University of Iowa.

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Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer
Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River