Speakers at MLK NOW 2024 hope to share ideas, inspire action to strengthen Iowa’s Black communities

Alanda Gregory remembers the excitement her kindergarten self felt when her family dressed up and went to the International Amphitheater in Chicago to attend Jesse Jackson’s Operation PUSH Black Expos back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“My father was a carpenter and part of the Teamsters (union),” said Gregory, 54. “He used to get tickets to these events. It was a huge, one-week event with singers and performers. I always wanted to capture that and participate in that.”

Gregory, chief executive officer of the Tri-Phoenix Group and co-founder of BIPOC Collective, both in Dubuque, will get her chance at the MLK NOW 2024 conference Jan. 13 in Cedar Rapids.

The conference will feature 26 panelists, six entertainers and what organizers hope will be more than 1,000 participants from across the state. Panel discussions at MLK NOW 2024, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, will include:

Life coach and role model

Gregory’s journey to becoming a life coach and advocate started 15 years ago with her awareness of a lack of Black representation in some spaces, including finance and investing. Drawing from her experience on the corporate world, she coaches people in the arts, culture, entertainment and small business industries.

She hopes to talk with people at the conference about how business ownership can help Black residents shape their communities.

“You’re not just owning a business where you sell your stuff and go home,” she said. “You’re involved now. Now you are a player. How can you use that?”

She would also like to increase Black representation in other professions, such as education, so students can see role models who look like them. To get college degrees, some lower-income students will need child care and other supports. These are things Gregory would like to see discussed at MLK NOW 2024.

She will participate in the panels on managing personal finances and creating vibrant Black communities.

Five-term mayor

  Buy Photo

Quentin Hart, Waterloo’s first Black mayor, won his fifth term in office Nov. 7. His city is the eight largest in Iowa, but has a larger share of Black residents than any other Iowa community with 18 percent, according to the U.S. Census.

Waterloo’s Walnut Neighborhood, a hub for civil rights activity in the 1960s and now on the National Register of Historic Places, had seen more than a decade of demolition of houses because of decay and disrepair. By partnering with the Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity and the Boys and Girls Club, Waterloo has built or rehabbed 15 to 20 homes in the area, Hart said.

“What we've been able to see with partnerships and working together is a potential model to develop other parts of our community as well,” said Hart.

Gates Park, home to a popular youth basketball league, will get a makeover to include an amphitheater, splash pad and new basketball courts. A large day care center will help families in the neighborhood, he said.

“Waterloo doesn't have all the answers,” Hart said. “This (conference) is a great opportunity for us to hear about best practices, to share our best practices and to build a coalition for future success.”

Hart, 52, is a trained educator, having received his master’s degree in postsecondary education: student affairs from the University of Northern Iowa. His wife, Cassandra Hart, is a teacher.

Hart will participate in the MLK NOW 2024 panel on incarceration and possibly another panel, depending on time, he said.

Entrepreneur and creative problem solver

Selinya Carew has a knack for seeing a need and coming up with a creative way to fill it.

  Buy Photo

Carew, 43, was born in Cedar Rapids, but spent most of her childhood in Sierra Leone in West Africa. She came back to Iowa for high school and college. When she was working as a program coordinator at Four Oaks Family and Children Services, she noticed clients came in needing more minutes on their mobile phones.

“I brought a Boost Mobile franchise to Cedar Rapids at that time,” Carew said.

Boost is a mobile virtual network operator, which means it does not own a network itself but sells data plans on networks at low prices and with no annual contracts.

Carew also helped develop a 10-week workshop to help parents build skills and stability for their children. Coordinators pay workshop participants a subsidy to make up for lost wages and then help them get jobs at the end of the program, Carew said.

“Within the first three months, we had a waiting list,” she said. “We were placing at least 90 percent of people.”

Carew went on to work for the 6th Judicial District and Kirkwood Community College. She also owns Sierra Foods, a convenience store on Center Point Road, and works as an independent career consultant.

Carew will participate in MLK NOW 2024 panels on managing personal finances and building vibrant Black communities. “I really feel like everybody has potential and everybody wants the opportunity to be a better version of themselves,” she said.

Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com