Many reasons to raise the minimum wage

To the editor:

Recently, there have been explanations about why we need to raise the minimum wage in Johnson County.

As a black resident of Iowa City for 42 years, I've noticed an uneasy wave of change in our community. Statistics show that people of color across the country were disproportionately affected by the recent recession.

In our own Iowa communities, studies are confirming what many have observed: people of color are experiencing forms of discrimination that result in disproportionate police contact, as well as discriminatory hiring practices that disproportionately funnel applicants of color into jobs paying low, poverty wages.

This causes people to work multiple jobs and depend on social services. They have to choose between which bills to pay and how much food to put on the table. When your everyday agenda is based on survival, it leaves no time for community participation. So when the school board is making decisions about discretionary busing, boundary changes, or whether or not MLK's birthday will be a school day, these voices are not heard. If you're not making enough to afford transportation, live in North Liberty, and work second or third shift in Iowa City, your job is in jeopardy every day. If you need child care, you can't afford it, so you have to depend on the kindness of friends and relatives or leaving young children home alone. This is a perpetual cycle that needs to be broken.

I applaud elected officials for standing up and proposing to raise the minimum wage.

Greg Hearns

Iowa City