Despite the need for more diverse storytelling in Iowa, Black Iowa News remains one of the state’s only independent news platforms focusing on Black stories.
DES MOINES, Iowa — When Dana James first launched Black Iowa News in 2020, there weren’t many places to get inspired and start writing. Thanks to social distancing, coffee shops and restaurants were out of the question.
Instead, James turned to the “LOVE” statue at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines.
“I would sit here, and I would write,” James said. “Everything that I’ve done with Black Iowa News, it was started here.”
Now, that same sculpture serves as a reminder of how far she has come: After three years of operating almost solely online, James is launching the Black Iowa Newspaper, a physical rendition of Black Iowa News, in June.
James created Black Iowa News after noticing the gaps in reporting when it came to how Black communities were affected by the pandemic.
“What I love most about Black Iowa News is that it was born really out of that need to help,” she said. “It was born out of the need to make sure that the community was informed in a way that I wasn’t seeing happen.”
As a Black woman and a longtime Iowan, James knew her voice was one not often represented by major media outlets.
“My goal with Black Iowa News is to make sure that the stories have Black experts, Black voices, the data is geared toward the Black reader,” James said. “Everything that I do, I’m thinking about centering the voices of Black Iowans.”
In 2022, James printed a Black Voters Guide leading up to the midterm elections. This early experiment proved that there was a demand for Black Iowa News in print.
“When I was taking this around to the community, people just literally snatched it out of my hands, and told me, ‘We really need this,’” James said. “… I viewed this almost as a test run. And that’s when it became clear that I can produce a newspaper, I can disseminate it around the state to some key communities and help make a difference.”
There’s been an uptick in Black print publications nationwide over the last few years. The National Newspaper Publishers – a legacy trade association for America’s Black Press – currently lists more than 165 members, which is up from the reported 158 in 2019. None of the publications are based in Iowa.
For James, the expansion into print was Black Iowa News’ natural next step.
“Everyone believes that everyone wants to do everything online, on their phone, on their tablets,” James said. “But Black communities are different.”
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Despite the need for more diverse storytelling in Iowa, Black Iowa News remains one of the state’s only independent news platforms focusing on Black stories.
“[James is] rare in what she does,” said Jill Wells, an Iowa-based artist who focuses on accessibility and advocacy. “She has her own lane and she takes charge of it beautifully, respectfully.”
James interviewed Wells about her artwork years ago, a piece that Wells said changed the trajectory of her practice.
The opportunity to center Black voices is what inspires James to keep moving forward.
“I always say that what I do at Black Iowa News is contributing to an informed community, because it’s not like our community is uninformed. It’s not like there aren’t other publications and websites and creators doing great things, but I want to be a part of that.”
In June, James will send the first edition of the Black Iowa Newspaper to print in northwest Iowa.
From there, she and her husband plan to rent a van to distribute the papers across central Iowa and beyond. It will start as a quarterly, but “the goal is definitely to grow it to a monthly and then … bi-weekly,” James told Local 5.
As the founder, editor-in-chief and reporter for Black Iowa News, it’s easy to look at James and see her as a one-woman show. Yet, James partially credits her ongoing success to the amount of support she’s received from the community.
“I’ve had widespread support from people of all hues, and that has been so encouraging,” she said.
James announced the launch of the Black Iowa Newspaper on April 26. Since then, supporters have been active on social media, with some organizations buying ad space in the paper.
One of those organizations is Just Voices Iowa, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing racial disparities in policing.
Lori Young, director of communications for Just Voices, has seen firsthand the impact James’ work can have.
“We’ve published stories in Black Iowa News about victims of racially-biased policing,” Young said. “And [James] is such a great writer. She takes my little, crude articles and makes them so much better, and publishes them and gives them the exposure we need to create change, positive change.”
James’ commitment to her community is an inspiration to everyone she meets, according to Lya Williams, James’ cohost on the podcast, “Being Heard: 2 Black Women, Coffee & Conversations with Lya and Dana.”
“This is the skin I’m born in. This is the skin I’m going to leave this earth in,” Williams said. “And so, I’m hoping to see [Black Iowa News] just continue to be a motivation to other young women who are wanting to pursue the same path who look like us.”
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Wells echoed this sentiment, saying she’s “blessed to have [a] relationship” with James.
“I don’t think my practice would have grown at the level it did in the past couple years without Dana highlighting what I’m doing and what the artists I’m working with are doing,” she said.
Stories like Wells’ – glimpses into communities and their concerns, celebrations of underserved activists – are at the heart of Black Iowa News.
With the upcoming launch of the Black Iowa Newspaper, James and her contributing writers are changing the face of print news in Iowa, a step that connects the young and the old across all abilities.
“Through the form of paper, print, as well as online, that is truly accessible,” Wells said. “So, all communities, no matter what your style of communication is, you have something that facilitates towards that.”
The Black Iowa Newspaper is just getting started. But even in these early days, James hopes the paper will make its way into homes, where Black kids can grow up seeing themselves reflected in the pages.
“Representation is everything,” she said. “And this is just another way we get that done.”
