AABP EP Awards 728x90

Iowa 4-H accused of systemic racism, cultural discrimination

/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/BR_web_311x311.jpeg

Former Iowa 4-H director John-Paul Chaisson-Cárdenas has filed a lawsuit against Iowa State University, home of the ISU Extension office, which oversees the state 4-H, alleging he was repeatedly harassed and ultimately fired because of his advocacy for race equality and gender identity protections among 4-H participants and employees, reports the Des Moines Register. Dozens of 4-H members and leaders across Iowa have reported racial tensions within the organizations as pressure mounts to publicly stress diversity, but locally, some accused Chaisson-Cárdenas of being overzealous in his advocacy.