Day 13: Manisha Paudel

Lesley Payne interviews Manisha Paudel about her position as Equity Coordinator for the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission. The mission of the organization is to advance justice, promote equality and ensure the protection of human rights for all people in Des Moines through investigation, education, advocacy and community engagement. The Commission is charged with providing a "Public Service" to the community and is supported as part of City Government. They are an Impartial Investigative Agency, which seeks to determine through investigation, if a person was treated unfairly in violation of the City Code they enforce. The organization is community driven. They want to see and hear you at events. You can check their website for the most up-to-date information. If you have questions, send them to humanrights@dmgov.org

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Day 12: Sonia Reyes-Snyder

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Lesley Payne interviews Sonia Reyes-Snyder about where she is from and moving to Iowa. Sonia is the Executive Officer in the Office of Latino Affairs, which streamlines access to services offered by the State of Iowa. The office advocates for Iowans of Latino heritage to participate fully in the economic, social and cultural life of the state by providing assistance and coordinating the efforts of other state departments and agencies, in addition to the development and coordination of other public or private organizations.

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Day 11: Richard Duncan

Lesley Payne interviews Richard Duncan. In 1996, he politely informed his wife, Madison DeShay-Duncan, about growing up in a predominantly African American neighborhood of Des Moines located around Center Street. After additional research about the area, Madison was inspired to found Community Legacy Matters Incorporated. The focus is to research and develop creative and innovative educational resources that preserve, promote and educate the public on the history of Iowa’s culturally significant but historically underrepresented communities. One of those educational resources is a documentary titled “The Center Street Story: An Urban Renewal Retrospective.” Richard Duncan is the narrator and Center Street Historian for the project. Through the voices of former business owners and residents, the documentary tells of the rise and fall of the historic “Center Street” community & African American business district that existed for more than five decades prior to being destroyed as a result of the 1950s Oakridge Urban Renewal Project.

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Day 10: Madison DeShay-Duncan

Lesley Payne interviews Madison DeShay-Duncan about founding Community Legacy Matters Incorporated to research and develop creative innovative educational resources that preserve, promote and educate the public on the history of Iowa’s culturally significant but historically underrepresented communities. One of those projects is a documentary titled “The Center Street Story: An Urban Renewal Retrospective.” Through the voices of former business owners and residents, the documentary tells the history of the rise and fall of the historic “Center Street” community & African American business district that existed for more than five decades prior to being destroyed as a result of the 1950s Oakridge Urban Renewal Project.

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Day 9: Joshua V. Barr

Lesley Payne interviews Joshua V. Barr about growing up in South Carolina and moving to Des Moines, Iowa. Joshua is the Director of the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission. The mission of the organization is to advance justice, promote equality and ensure the protection of human rights for all people in Des Moines through investigation, education, advocacy and community engagement. The Commission is charged with providing a "Public Service" to the community and is supported as part of City Government. They are an Impartial Investigative Agency, which seeks to determine through investigation, if a person was treated unfairly in violation of the City Code they enforce. The organization is community driven. They want to see and hear you at events. You can click the link to their website for the most up-to-date information. If you have questions you can send them to humanrights@dmgov.org.

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Day 8: Davonte

Lesley Payne interviews Davonte about living in Des Moines. Davonte participated in Movement515, a program offered to students in Des Moines Public Schools. Students and mentors attempt to slow down the world and investigate themselves. They work toward becoming change agents, shedding light on the impact human emotion and connection brings to the global community. Movement515 is an urban arts community where, twice a week, students and mentors come together to create spoken word poetry.

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Day 7: Leah

Lesley Payne interviews Leah about being back in Des Moines. Leah participated in Movement515, a program offered to students in Des Moines Public Schools. Students and mentors attempt to slow down the world and investigate themselves. They work toward becoming change agents, shedding light on the impact human emotion and connection brings to the global community. Movement515 is an urban arts community where, twice a week, students and mentors come together to create spoken word poetry.

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Day 6: Nancy Mwirotsi

Lesley Payne interviews Nancy Mwirotsi about places she goes and founding the non-profit organization PI515. The mission of the organization is to challenge, inspire and teach technology skills to students with potential, empowering refugee and underserved youth to achieve success, garner influence, and gain stability in their families and communities.

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Day 5: Delia

Lesley Payne interviews Delia about what is important to her. Delia talks about her involvement with Narcotics Anonymous; also know as NA. It is a nonprofit organization for people that had drugs become a major problem. They are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean.

Delia is also a member of the Professional Women’s Group (PWG). The group provides practical information and inspiration to achieve self-defined success in career and in life. It is a program offered to clients of the non-profit organization Dress for Success Des Moines.

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Day 4: Q

Lesley Payne interviews Q about what is important to her and the business planning assistance she received from the non-profit organization Iowa Center for Economic Success (ICEC).

ICEC referred Q as a client to the non-profit organization Dress for Success Des Moines. Q shares her experience as a member of their Professional Women’s Group; also know as PWG. The group provides practical information and inspiration to achieve self-defined success in career and in life.

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Day 3: Sharon

Lesley Payne interviews Sharon about her life. Sharon shares her experience as member of the Professional Women’s Group; also know as PWG. The group provides practical information and inspiration to achieve self-defined success in career and in life. It is a program offered to clients of the non-profit organization Dress for Success Des Moines.

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Day 2: Evelyn

Lesley Payne interviews Evelyn about how she found Des Moines, Iowa. Evelyn shares her experience with the Professional Women’s Group; also know as PWG. The group provides practical information and inspiration to achieve self-defined success in career and in life. It is a program offered to clients of the non-profit organization Dress for Success Des Moines.

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Day 1: Lesley Payne

The land on which we gather is the traditional lands of: Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, and the Sioux People. We pay our respect to elders both past and present.

This is the audio component of an on-going project. The interviews are being shared as a podcast, so they are not an unheard story in a gallery setting. Lesley Payne begins the project by following the saying “don’t ask someone to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself”.

Travel outside the space of your routine to reflect on:

When did you get to Des Moines?

Where are you going?

Who are you going to see?

Why are you going?

What will you do in Des Moines?

How will you move forward?

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