A group of Black Iowa lawmakers is expanding their legislative caucus to also include other racial minorities. The group has been renamed the Black and Brown Caucus, and they say their goal is to protect civil rights, build economic opportunities and expand access to health care and education.
The group now has 12 members, including new Latina Rep. Angel Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids. Latinos currently make up nearly 8% of Iowa’s population, according to 2024 Census estimates.
Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines, D-Des Moines, said the caucus unanimously agreed to form a larger, more diverse team to address inequality in the state.
“Our vision has expanded, and we want to specifically embrace brown Iowans,” Gains said. “They have the experience of being seriously discriminated against, and they are the largest minority in the state.”
The group introduced a series of bills Monday to ban ICE agents from concealing their identities and from apprehending people in courthouses, schools and churches.
Ramirez, the first Latina legislator in Iowa, said laws coming from the Republican-led Legislature are causing young people to leave the state.
“This is the fact of the matter. Anti-diversity, anti-inclusion, anti-equity results in people feeling unsafe in Iowa,” Ramirez said.
Rep. Megan Srinivas, D-Des Moines, is also a member of the caucus and is Indian-American. She has been part of the group since she took office in 2023.
