A Place Where All People Can Thrive

This story is part of our Transforming Together series, which highlights 20 key moments in our Foundation’s first 20 years. Read more stories in the series.

Since Europeans came to the Dubuque region more than 200 years ago, its population has looked very much like those early explorers. The descendants of German and Irish families who settled in the area continue to call it home, making it a predominantly white region.

In recent decades, though, the region’s communities of color have grown. Today, about 15% of the city of Dubuque’s people come from minority backgrounds, with sizable communities of Black, Latino and Pacific Islander residents.

As these demographic changes have helped support Dubuque’s growth and prosperity, they also have led to challenges. In the 1990s, Dubuque made national headlines for a series of cross burnings outside the homes of Black residents. In the 2000s, new companies brought racially diverse employees who reported experiencing bias and discrimination in the community.

It was in the context of these events that the Community Foundation established Inclusive Dubuque, a network of partners committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive region. Launched in 2012 with support from the city and numerous other organizations, Inclusive Dubuque provided a platform for conversations about people’s diversity of experiences and helped leaders develop plans for making Dubuque a place where all people can thrive.

“We all share this one planet, and we’re all in it together,” says Meryem Ouahbi, a former advisory board member at the Tri-State Islamic Center who was involved with Inclusive Dubuque in its early days. “To be able to spread that message, to reach more individuals, is not only a great model for the Dubuque community but also for the country, that this is all happening in this little, all-American small town on the Mississippi.”

One of Inclusive Dubuque’s most significant accomplishments has been creating Dubuque’s first community equity profile. First created in 2017, the equity profile was built with the input of people across the community, who shared their experiences with housing, education, health care and other systems through surveys and community conversations. It has provided an understanding of how diverse populations are affected by various aspects of life in Dubuque, and community leaders have used the data to understand what is working and where there are opportunities for improvement.

Today, the Community Foundation is updating the equity profile, while Inclusive Dubuque has grown to encompass new efforts aimed at building welcoming and inclusive workplaces, including the Business Leader Equity Cohort and Employer Inclusion Council.

In addition, leaders in the rural counties surrounding Dubuque reached out to the Community Foundation for support in kicking off their own inclusive efforts. The result was the Rural Equity Network, a coalition of partners built on the model Inclusive Dubuque established in 2012.

“The challenges our region faces can be complex. Tackling them requires difficult conversations and the ability to sometimes work across differences,” says Clara Lopz Ortiz, the Foundation’s equity coordinator. “In rural regions, this work comes naturally. We are neighbors above all else, and we do what it takes to make our home a better place.”