This was the third week of the 2022 legislative session. This week, the Iowa Recycling Association and the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations stopped by the Capitol to let legislators know about their priorities for this session. Among them is a transition to sustainable materials management system, modernizing Iowa’s bottle bill, and advance the organic waste management infrastructure.
I urge all those who are able to attend the upcoming Keynote speech at the Iowa State Memorial Union by Dr. Yusef Salaam on January 27th at 6PM. Dr. Yusef Salaam was one of “The Central Park Five”, five New York City children who were charged and convicted for a crime they did not commit. Dr. Yusef Salaam, who was 15 at the time of his conviction, has since his release dedicated himself to advocating for prison, police, and criminal justice reform. He will be giving the Keynote speech as part of Iowa State University’s MLK Jr. Legacy Convocation and Lecture Series on these and related topics. He will also speak on his new book, Better, Not Bitter now out with Grand Central Publishing. You can find out more about the lecture, and how to attend virtually, by following this link. Click here for an NPR review of his book.
The Ames chapter of the NAACP will be hosting a hybrid (virtual and online) fundraising event on February 17th. Attendees will hear from Joshua V. Barr, founder and chief strategist for Raising the Barr LLC, an organization providing consultation and training support aimed at challenging businesses and individuals to better implement policies which promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn more about the event here and here. You can register for the fundraising event by following this link.
Finally, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ames School District’s new superintendent, Julious Lawson. His two decades of experience in teaching and administration in the Chicago Public School system for which he has been recognized by various Chicago officials and organizations, makes him an exciting appointment for Ames’ schools. I wish him the best in his new position in Ames.
Thank you for reading my newsletter. If you are at the Capitol and have a chance to visit, please send a message into the House Chamber and either I or my Legislative Clerk will come out to greet you.
