Rep. Ross Wilburn is a native of Davenport and graduated from Davenport Central High School. He served in the Iowa Army National Guard while attending the University of Iowa and earned a degree in social work. Wilburn is currently the State Representative in District 46, which covers part of Ames and Story County. He has also served on the city council and as Mayor of Iowa City. In addition to serving as a lawmaker, Wilburn is the diversity officer and associate director for community economic development at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. He is also a member of the Iowa Legislature’s Black Caucus.——Note: As posted on the Iowa Democratic Party website on March 9. 2021. Celeste: Across the United States, metastatic breast cancer is a deadly disease. In Iowa, African American women have the highest death rates, followed by white women living in rural areas. Being someone, whose mother died from metastatic breast cancer, I have not only reported the deadly impact of this disease, but I have also advocated for legislative action to amplify the need for more public awareness and engagement to address this deadly disease. I have worked with several state legislators to initiate the process which ended with a first step move toward that end by delivering a proclamation, signed by Governor Kim Reynolds, designating October 13, 2020, as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day in Iowa. Celeste: What action can the Iowa Democratic Party take to address this deadly disease going forward? Wilburn: Well first, I am very glad that you helped put that proclamation into play. So, I think it is important to make those types of commitments and statements, but we need to go beyond the proclamation. The Democratic Party is trying to introduce bills that are related to healthcare, especially those that disproportionately impact communities of color...Black/ African American women. It’s critical that we not just live by words in a proclamation. As the Democratic Party, we are trying to introduce those bills, but in a similar vein, Governor (Kim) Reynolds and the Iowa Congressional Delegation oppose the American Rescue Plan... which is related to coronavirus recovery...but that is another science-based pandemic response... so we need to be listening to science and we need to focus our efforts and appropriate funding towards that. Democrats are in the minority right now, so we’ve got to start organizing now to get candidates to run against House and Senate Republicans, and to take on Governor Reynolds, so that we are not only protecting Iowans...communities of color... from these devastating diseases. I have a sister who is a survivor of breast cancer. The resources that went towards supporting her, both in terms of research as well as believing the science and supporting the universities to deliver those services, is critical. There has been an outright effort during this legislative session to negatively impact the Regent institutions, particularly the University of Iowa... which has the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics...they are trying to take away tenure, which would have a devastating effect on recruiting talented faculty...not only from the state, but from the country and around the world. Celeste: Currently, Iowa’s executive branch (Governor) and legislative branch (Senate and House of Representatives) are controlled by the Republican Party. What will the Iowa Democratic Party have to do to regain political control of the executive and legislative branches, and what specific outreach is needed to gain the majority vote of women and minorities? The URBAN EXPERIENCE | 2021 29
30 Publizr Home