Moving Beyond 2025

During the challenges and divisiveness of 2025, Black Iowa News produced important news, features and commentary featuring Black Iowans in its newspapers, photographs and posts. These stories, in print and online, do more than just fill space; they document Black Iowans’ lives and analyze the systems that would further marginalize them. We're proud of the work we produced in partnership with you.

Building community and a better future

Each story Black Iowa News produces is like a brick — building community by using high-quality journalism and paving the way toward positive change. Amid a shrinking media landscape that never fully did justice to Black-oriented stories, Black Iowa News is centering Blackness at a critical time in American history.

But the work we do on behalf of thousands of Iowans of all hues — providing a free high-quality statewide newspaper to libraries, community organizations and schools — isn’t free to produce. We can only thrive with your help. We’re making an impact — Black Iowa News Founder and Publisher Dana James was awarded the 2025 Media & Impact Award from Kappa Tau Alpha at Iowa State University — but sustaining it requires ongoing financial support.

You can help us 

Your tax-deductible gift would allow Black Iowa News to:

• Hire and train more Black and diverse writers, photographers and interns
• Cover more stories in more Black communities across the state — urban, suburban and rural
• Produce storytelling that makes a more profound impact — storytelling not covered by mainstream media

Uncovering the stories that should be told

Original stories produced by writers like Jayla Poindexter, a student at Iowa State University, included a critical piece about the community-building work of Black Student Unions at four Iowa universities. Interns Gretchen Lembcke Pena, of CUNY and Cleah Phillips, of Iowa State University, studied the health concerns caused by the chemically-laden hair products used by many Black Iowa women. Writer Shade Burgs tackled political discourse, the Trump administration and the state of democracy. Debra Carr tackled Black women, careers and unemployment disparities. That's a small sampling of the unique content that filled our newspaper editions, website, email newsletters and social media, and we want to bring you more in 2026.

Help us reach more Iowa communities

Help us hire more writers

Help with printing, mailing and distribution

Please consider a monthly recurring donation

We produced solid journalism in a year that brought about immense challenges, rising prices and dwindling advertising revenue. Even so, our important work must continue. We're excited for you to read the work we are planning for 2026. 

Help us accomplish our goals with a tax-deductible donation today. Help more Iowans have access to independently-produced journalism that matters. 

Thank you.

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