INTEGRATION

INTEGRATION. Action generally associated with bringing different racial groups together. On May 4,1990, the Dubuque Human Rights Commission asked a broad-based community group to develop a plan and timetable for bringing one hundred minority families to Dubuque by 1995. The proposal was part of a pain developed by the Commission's three-member Race Relations Community Action Exploratory Committee. The Commission assembled a list of fifty-five individuals to be invited to serve on the ad hoc committee.

The names of the integration task force members were released in October 1990. Participants included Kenneth GEARHART, Terry Lambert, Jan Bleacher, Doug Henry, Sister Nona Meyerhofer, Ted Blanchard, Katie Mulholland, Gwen Nilles, Randy Peck, Dale Repass, Dave Roberts, Marcia Sola, Rev. Msgr. Neil Tobin, Claudette Carter Thomas, and Gail WEITZ.

In early February, the plan was made public. After public input on February 25,1991, at WAHLERT HIGH SCHOOL, parts of the proposal were changed. Copies of the plan were made available to the public at the Human Rights office at the DUBUQUE CITY HALL. In April 1991 the Dubuque Human Rights Commission unanimously accepted "We Want To Change," the task force's nine-page pain.

The plan addressed such factors needed to attract and retain minorities to Dubuque as housing, social services, and community education. The need for a minority coordinator to work with government officials, businesses and community groups was stated. Commissioners Ruby SUTTON and Steve Racks worked with the task force in preparing a presentation of the plan to the city council.

In May 1991 following the Dubuque City Council's 6-1 vote approving the task force plan, City Manager Gearhart was directed to develop methods for carrying out the program. The task force then reorganized itself into the following committees: finances; housing; recruitment of employers, new businesses and minority families; education and public relations; and incorporation/ retention of families. Community members were then given the opportunity to serve on one of the committees. An eight-member executive committee coordinated the project.

In October 1991, Dubuque's Constructive Integration Task Force was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization. In this capacity the group could solicit private donations and matching grant money from private and federal sources. Money received was to be used to implement the integration pain.

In reaction to the work of the task force and the issue of encouraging minorities to come to the city, Dubuque was the scene of cross-burnings. One incident occurred in FLORA PARK across the street from IRVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL that had Dr. Jerome Greer, the first African American principal in the DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. In late October 1991, police were called to DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL to restore order after fighting, called racially based, broke out. Some interest was shown in forming a local branch of the N.A.A.W.P. (National Association for the Advancement of White People).

In November and December 1991, the cross burnings and acts of vandalism resulted in Dubuque being the subject of numerous national television and radio programs and newspaper articles. On November 21,1991, Thomas Hunt, national coordinator of the Guardian Angels, and twelve members from chapters in Chicago, New York and Indianapolis arrived in Dubuque. The group spoke to students at HOOVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, patrolled several streets, and made appearances at a rally in WASHINGTON PARK and an ecumenical Thanksgiving service at NATIVITY CHURCH on November 27,1991. This same event was attended by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, State Representative Thomas J. JOCHUM and State Senator Joseph J. WELSH. Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, the only African American candidate for the 1991 Democratic presidential nomination, came to Dubuque on November 24 to attend church services with Ms. Alice Scott and her family. Scott's home had been vandalized on November 12 when a piece of concrete block was thrown through a window.

Change continues to meet resistance. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

November was also a month of rallies. On November 23 an estimated two hundred people braved cold and snow to march from 15th and Main STREETS to TOWN CLOCK PLAZA to protest the racial incidents. The event had been arranged by a group called the Active Students Against Prejudice. The following day several hundred Dubuque residents met at Washington Park for a rally against hate crimes and prejudice. On November 30,1991, Rev. Thomas Robb, the national director of the KU KLUX KLAN arrived in Dubuque and spoke to a rally attended by an estimated two hundred people in front of the DUBUQUE CITY HALL. Members of the Dubuque chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People staged a counter rally estimated to include two hundred people in Washington Park.

The City of Dubuque and the DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT initiated programs to increase racial and handicap sensitivity. The City developed an Intercultural Competency Initiative. In 2006 a three-year contract with One Ummah Consulting had as its goals including promoting community understanding and education, encouraging a more diverse workforce, identifying tools residents could use to resolve conflict, and support for a community that valued all residents. Portions of the training were implemented with school district employees and CLARKE COLLEGE students. The Diverse Dubuque website was opened in February 2008. This was intended to keep the community updated on the City's intercultural competency initiative as well as cultural events happening in the community and resources that might be helpful to others. The TIPS subcommittee published intercultural community building tips in the employee newsletter every two weeks and arranged for management team training tips every month. City departments also prioritized brochures and forms that were most commonly used by the public for translation into Spanish.

In 2009 community partners promoting an inclusive community included faces and voices which sponsored the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Tribute Days and a biennial Human Relations conference. Project Hope was designed to help unemployed and underemployed residents who were disadvantaged because of social, cultural or educational barriers. Step by Step, a non-profit organization, encouraged sustainable projects created by and for people with disabilities. Proudly Accessible Dubuque worked to provide accessibility to everyone and awareness of accessibility issues to businesses. Bi-lingual signage located at points of interest, public facilities and on-street sites was developed in English and Spanish. The Every Child, Every Promise initiative provided every child with Five Promises: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education, and opportunities to serve.