Iowa
This is why I stay

This is why I stay

Friends who move away from Iowa love to post photos of sandy beaches and warm winter days, tagged with #thisiswhyimoved. But let’s be clear. Nobody stays in Iowa for the weather or the landscape. We stay for one very specific and important reason that cannot be outshined by an ocean view. So allow me to explain. Because #thisiswhyistay.

Hard-working, picturesque, racist rural America

Hard-working, picturesque, racist rural America

After the stunning election results came in, analysts mentioned “racist rural America” over and over again. Equally, rural America (people I knew growing up) insisted that rural does not equal racist. My own experience shows that it’s not quite that black and white.