COMMUNITY skill gaps in the workplace https://www.iowaworks. gov/vosnet/Default.aspx; and 4) organizer of Iowa’s first statewide workforce diversity initiative, the Diversity Institute of Iowa, that was attended by leaders in business, education, government, and labor. from The Legal Services Corporation of Iowa; 8) Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Education from the State of Iowa Board of Education; 9) the Award for Educating on the Historical Significance of Juneteenth from the Creative Visions Human Development My father has received numerous national, state, and local awards, and recognition. Among them are: 1) induction into the Iowa African-American Hall of Fame; 2) the Judge Luther T. Glanton Community Service Award from the Central Iowa Chapter of Blacks in Government; 3) the Exemplary Leadership Award from the State Employees’ Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Celebration Committee; 4) the Excellence in Community Service Award from the Collaboration of Des Moines Community Organizations; 5) the Outstanding Vision Award from the Presbytery of Des Moines; 6) the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Des Moines Black Ministerial Alliance (currently the Des Moines Pastors and Ministers Alliance); 7) Excellence in Service Award Institute); 10) the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award from the Mid-Iowa Council - Boy Scouts of America); 11) the Community Service Award jointly presented by the Des Moines Black Ministerial Alliance (PMA) and the Des Moines Branch of the NAACP; and 12) the Legacy Award from the I’ll Make Me A World In Iowa organization. The accomplishment that I am focusing on in this article has to do with my father’s body of work with Juneteenth activities. He founded the Iowa Juneteenth Celebration in Des Moines during 1990. Starting in 2001, he spearheaded efforts in the Iowa Legislature to establish Juneteenth as a holiday in Iowa. In 2002, Juneteenth legislation was passed in both the Iowa House and Senate and sent to Governor Tom Vilsack for his signature. On April 11, 2002, Governor Vilsack signed the legislation into law during a special ceremony in his office, establishing Juneteenth as an official day of observance in Iowa to be celebrated annually on the third Saturday during June. Following the official recognition of Juneteenth in Iowa, my dad changed the name of the Iowa Juneteenth Celebration to the Iowa Juneteenth Observance. In 2006, he initiated efforts with the State Librarian that led to placement of Juneteenth history books in all of Iowa’s public libraries (see State Library of Iowa Footnotes, Volume 31, No. 3-4-5, March, April, May 2006). In 2007, he led collaborative efforts with the Iowa Department of Education for the placement of Juneteenth history books in the libraries of middle schools across Iowa. My father successfully worked with Governor Terry Branstad and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to establish a permanent Juneteenth museum exhibit. August 2019 The URBAN EXPERIENCE 23
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