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Iowa In Focus

Justyn Lewis founded the group Des Moines Selma to bring unity, education, and justice mobilization to the anti-racism movement in Des Moines.
Courtesy of Matt Barrick
Justyn Lewis founded the group Des Moines Selma to bring unity, education, and justice mobilization to the anti-racism movement in Des Moines.

Iowa In Focus

Throughout last summer’s racial justice protests, demonstrators frequently called for an end to “systemic racism.” Broadly defined, it’s policies and practices entrenched in a society that harm certain racial groups and help others, whether intentionally or not. IPR News is looking at what systemic racism looks like in Iowa -- including housing, criminal justice, education, health care, business ownership, and farming -- and how it affects Black Iowans today.
Screenshot from Mapping Inequality
White Iowans own their homes at nearly three times the rate of Black Iowans, one of the biggest racial homeownership gaps in the country. Nationally, this gap is wider than it was 50 years ago, because discriminatory housing policies and practices of the past and present are still hurting Black families and their ability to build generational wealth.