Dana James, the founder of the Black Iowa News website and email newsletter, has launched a print version of the publication in time for Juneteenth celebrations around the state. James told Bleeding Heartland she plans to publish the Black Iowa Newspaper quarterly this year, with the goal of monthly printing during 2024.
Although Iowa has a long tradition of Black journalism—the Iowa Bystander newspaper was founded in Des Moines in 1894—the state has been without a print newspaper produced by and for Black Iowans for some time. Jonathan Narcisse, the last publisher of the Bystander, moved the paper to a digital-only format several years before his death in 2018.
The goal of the Black Iowa News platform is “to highlight Black perspectives, showcase the Black community and amplify the voices of Black Iowans.” In the publisher’s introductory column for the Black Iowa Newspaper, James described her goal of “fighting erasure” for Black people in Iowa media. Speaking to Channel 5 news last month, she explained that in contrast to reporters covering the community from the outside, she’s part of the community and always tries to center Black voices, whether they be ordinary people or policy experts.
The newspaper’s first edition does that in many ways.
Several articles by James cover Juneteenth celebrations and other events involving members of the Black community, such as a recent Youth Town Hall, the renaming of Des Moines East High School’s auditorium for State Representative Ruth Ann Gaines (a former teacher at the school), and a presentation about the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision.
The newspaper includes some stories James first published on her newsletter, covering allegations of racial profiling by Fort Dodge police, racial disparities in education, prevalent stereotypes about Black fathers as “absent” or “uninvolved,” and one family’s experience with persistent racism in Maquoketa (Jackson County).
Other pages feature public health information or arts and culture content, such as murals painted by Black artists and a story about the upcoming Cornbread music festival in Des Moines.
James published interviews with several leaders in the political or business community and a half-dozen shorter “spotlights” on Black-owned businesses. Freelance writers contributed several articles and commentaries as well, and Iowa Starting Line’s Ty Rushing wrote about notable new Iowa laws.
In addition to her journalism work, James regularly interviews Black Iowans as co-host (with Lya Williams) of the podcast Being Heard: 2 Black Women, Coffee and Conversations. It’s available on Facebook and major podcast distribution platforms. On one recent episode, James recounted her experience publishing a Black Iowa Voter Guide before the 2022 general election, which inspired her to produce and disseminate a newspaper on a regular basis.
The Black Iowa Newspaper is available for free at numerous locations in the Des Moines area, Fort Dodge, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Davenport, West Burlington, and Iowa City. Interested readers can also contact the publication for subscription information: info@blackiowanews.com
Disclosure: Dana James and Laura Belin are both members of the Iowa Writers Collaborative, a collection of newsletters available through Substack. James’ column is called New Black Iowa.
All photos of the first edition of the Black Iowa Newspaper are by Laura Belin.