We traveled to Webster City to learn about the impact of their significant immigrant population. Deb Brown of the Webster City Chamber of Commerce told us about the contributions Laotian and Latino immigrants make to economic and cultural life in Webster City. Then we visited All Cultures Equal (ACE) center where Janet Toering gave us a picture of educational, legal, and social events taking place there. Doug Bailey, one of he founders of the center, described community support for the immigrant communities. Maureen Seamonds told us about the upcoming international food classes at ACE which will be part of Wild Winter Weekend classes from Legacy Learning Boone River Valley. And Peter Fisher shared insights from the report Immigrants in Iowa: What New Iowans Contribute to the State Economy, the report he co-authored or the Iowa Policy Project. An even more striking example of the contributions of new immigrants was described by Newton Grotzinger from Hampton in Franklin county, which has nearly 30% Latino population. We wrapped up the hour with a discussion by Connor Keenan giving us a preview of the upcoming Ames Artists Studio Tour.
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Online Resources:
- Iowa Policy Project
- Webster City Area Chamber
- All Cultures Equal (ACE)
- Legacy Learning Boone River Valley
- 2016 Ames Area Studio Tour
Originally broadcast 10/05/2016
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