Implications of Iowa’s New Demographics for Communities

Dr. Mark Grey Professor and Director Iowa Center on Immigrant Leadership and Integration Dr. Michele Devlin Professor and Director Iowa Center on Health Disparities University of Northern Iowa

 Rapid Ethnic Diversification vs. “Diversity”  Microplurality

 Diversity is usually based on a snapshot, or point- in-time perspective  Our town is “diverse” because we have 10 Latino families  We are experiencing “diversity” because we now have residents with different ethnicities

 “Valuing diversity” is often a dodge to avoid talking about difficult issues like class and politics  Time to get past promoting one group’s diversity as more legitimate than another’s  In the US, the term “minority” is going to apply to everyone

 We encourage health care providers (and the people who train them) to ask:  Is our service population experiencing “diversity” or diversification?  Diversification is a process that places diverse communities within the context of history, the economy, community goals, and labor markets

 Microplurality describes growth in the number of smaller ethnically and linguistically distinct groups in communities  Recognizes “Diversity within Diversity”  Minimizes the relevance of racial categories in favor of ethnic populations  Recognizes the central role of culture, language, religion and immigration status

 An aging white population  Out-migration of young white population  Urbanization  Low birth rates among White residents  Higher birth rates among newcomers  In-migration of young Latinos  In-migration of several diverse populations

The median age for Hispanics was 23.2 years in Much less than that of Whites (39 years in 2009)

 Iowa’s projected Latino population:  2020: 182,190  2030: 263,860  2040: 384,320 (11% of total) *All population projections are from Woods and Poole Economics, 2010

1. Marshall (45%) 2. Crawford (43%) 3. Louisa (41%) 4. Buena Vista (39%) 5. Woodbury (36%) 6. Muscatine (34%) 7. Allamakee (26%) 8. Franklin (22%) 9. Polk (22%) 10. Wapello (21%) 11. Wright (17%) 12. Sioux (15%) 13. Emmet (12%) 14. Clarke (12%) 15. Pottawattamie (12%) 16. Tama (11%) 17. Washington (11%) 18. Taylor (10%) 19. Hancock (10%) 20. Osceola (10%)

 Iowa’s projected Black population:  2020: 107,790  2030: 136,110  2040: 172,770

 Iowa’s projected Asian population:  2020: 71,680  2030: 92,350  2040: 115,150

Year of Highest Population 1900 or earlier

Year of Highest Population 1950 or earlier

Other newcomers have arrived in Iowa:  Southeast Asia (Hmong, Vietnamese, Burmese etc.)  East Asia (Chinese, etc.)  Former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, etc.)  Former Yugoslavia (Bosnia, etc.)  Ultra-Orthodox Jewish (Israel and East Coast)  African (Sudan, Somalia, etc.)  South Pacific (Marshall Islanders, Paulau)  Ukrainian Pentacostals  Central and South Americans  Inner City African Americans  Appalachian Whites  And many more equals MICROPLURALITY!

Implications for Communities

 More likely to have many smaller ethnic groups in town, rather than just a few larger ones  Greater need for diversity and cultural competency training among staff at all levels, from receptionists to directors  Greater variety of languages spoken in town  More budgets for interpreters  May need to rely on language line, tele-interpretation, etc.  More likely to see rare languages, like Dinka, Nuer, etc.  Need training for interpreters and the staff that use them

 Increasingly likely to see low-income clients, presenting with multiple challenges and complicated issues  Greater percentage of clients with legal rights to services, along with their families  Increase in different perceptions, traditions, and norms regarding services and providers (public safety, health, social services, etc.)

 Greater need to include ethnically diverse clients in assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and boards  Greater emphasis on recruitment and retention of staff from multiple ethnicities, but recognize diversity within diversity  May need variety in service hours during non-traditional times  Must be aware of different cultural taboos, traditional prohibitions, common rituals, unique holidays, etc. of clients  Greater need to provide outreach services where clients live, work, play, recreate, worship, and study

 More likely to encounter cross-cultural differences involving ethical practices, confidentiality, legal complaints, etc.  More likely to experience low-literacy barriers  Likely will need longer visits for language/cultural barriers  Greater need to build relationships with clients through face- to-face, human contact  Must collect and track information on client’s ethnicity, ethnicity, spoken and written languages, literacy level, etc.

 Will need to maintain and update current demographic, cultural, and epidemiological profiles of the community  Will require agencies to work together from multiple sectors in coordinated manner to serve clients (health, education, law enforcement, social services, religious groups, schools, housing authorities, interpreters, ethnic community; etc)  Will need to provide orientation training and cultural competency programming for newcomers about Iowans  Should involve employers of newcomers as well

Conclusion  There is none! Learning to work effectively within rapidly changing demographic environments and meeting the needs of newcomers is an ongoing process  Requires time, money, resources, leadership, patience, and involvement of many parties  Ultimately can bring many opportunities and advantages to Iowan communities

Thank You! Cultural Connections 107 HPC University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Dr. Mark Grey; Dr. Michele Devlin;