When Dr. Jean Jew was hired by the University of Iowa College of Medicine it could have been seen as a significant step forward. She was young, accomplished, a woman in an almost entirely male department and Chinese American in a department with very little diversity. But it was made clear by her colleagues from the very start that she was not welcome there.
After years of enduring sexual, racial and ethnic harassment (keeping her head down and doing her best work) she realized that the slurs and salacious rumors were damaging her career. The University didn’t respond to her complaints, so she sought legal help from Carolyn Chalmers.
On this episode of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks to Chalmers about Jew’s landmark case against the University of Iowa and her book: They Didn’t want her There: Fighting Sexual and Racial Harassment in the American University.
Later in the podcast, when personal tragedy or natural disaster strikes family-run farms it can be devastating and relief can be slow to come or hard to come by at all. That’s where the non-profit Farm Rescue comes in. Founded in 2005, the organization has assisted more than 800 farm and ranch families with all kinds of crises. John Neumayer, ambassador and volunteer talks about the Farm Rescue organization.
Guests:
- Carolyn Chalmers, Minnesota lawyer, author
- John Neumayer, ambassador and volunteer for Farm Rescue
Disclaimer: They Didn’t want her There: Fighting Sexual and Racial Harassment in the American University by Carolyn Chalmers was published by University of Iowa Press — an underwriter of Iowa Public Radio.
