I’m Running for U.S. Senate to Put Iowans First By Theresa Greenfield As I’ve met Iowans across the state, it’s clear Washington isn’t working for us. This is especially true for Black Iowans who face additional unjust social and economic challenges - and those inequities have only been made worse by this pandemic. But instead of helping solve the problem, too many politicians in Washington only look out for corporate donors and party leaders. I’m not taking a dime of corporate PAC money and in Washington I’ll display the same grit and resolve I’ve shown as a businesswoman, a mother of four and a scrappy farm kid. That means working with anyone to finally address the racial disparities in housing, health care, education, employment, policing and so much more. We’re living in one of the most consequential times of our lives. Black communities across this country - and here in Iowa - have endured countless incidents of hate crimes and systemic racism. Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many other Black Americans should be alive - and I stand with leaders across our state calling for change. Whether that means supporting legislation like the Plan for a More Perfect Union, which passed thanks to the leadership of Iowa’s Legislative Black Caucus or supporting policing reforms that demand more transparency, ban chokeholds and enact racial bias and de-escalation training, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get the job done. We must also protect voting rights- one of the foundations of our democracy. We must eliminate barriers to voting and pass legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which is a crucial step in doing just that. Additionally, I support reforms for our criminal justice system, while keeping our communities safe. I will fight for fair reforms that include expanding mental health services and substance abuse treatment. I’ll also work to expand ban the box legislation, so if someone has served their time, they can apply for jobs without the associated stigma. But racial disparities impact every aspect of our society. We also must support Black Iowans with policies that tackle racial health disparities and expand access to quality, affordable health care through strengthening the ACA with a public option and allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug costs. These disparities in care aren’t new. Even before the pandemic people of color were more likely to face barriers to health care. Now, during the pandemic, Black Iowans have represented a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases in Iowa, and a greater share of deaths from the virus. To address this, we must take steps to better understand the social determinants that drive these disparities, not only in health care, but in pay fairness, housing, access to healthy food and more. We do this by creating more training tools for medical providers and legislation like the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. We should also all be able to agree our children are our future. I believe we need to invest in their education beginning with high-quality early childhood education and expanding pre-K. But it doesn’t stop there. We need to provide more access to apprenticeships, skills training and debt-free community college, so that as students grow, they continue to have options to advance their skills and knowledge. As someone who has been in small business most of my career, I’ve seen the challenges our small businesses and workers face. The URBAN EXPERIENCE | 2020 3
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