Black journalists in Iowa form state's first NABJ chapter

When Ty Rushing first moved to rural Iowa for a journalism job nine years ago, the Kansas City native immediately noticed two things.

• Not only was he the sole Black journalist in the area, but he was of the few Black people, period.
• "You're like, dang man, where are the Black faces? Where are the people I can talk to that can relate to some of these things going on?" Rushing told Axios.

That experience is why Rushing and other journalists of color have started the Iowa Association of Black Journalists — a local chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Why it matters: The organization provides support and advocates for journalists of color in Iowa — especially as historically white newsrooms try to cover racially sensitive stories like the recent Black Lives Matter protests or book banning in schools.