(Part 2) Top products from r/Iowa

Not from Australia, but this is a book by Lord Richard Acton about Iowa from a British perspective after he married his third wife who taught at the University of Iowa. I found it easy to read and fun to learn about Iowa from a perspective other than my own. I have lived here most of my 31 years. As a bit of a political and news junkie it is exciting to watch the political broohaha every 2 or 4 years. However, I have cut the cord in terms of not having cable or satellite, largely because I got so tired of the commercials. I really don't like attack ads from either party or 3rd parties. That said learning what I has brought to the world in terms of agriculture, technology, and literature to name a few categories is amazing to me. Even an old teacher of mine found some of the oldest films in the country just recently a few miles from where I live. Everyday I wake up and look outside my window and can see for miles. I love this place and thank you for showing an interest.

Good question. Some folks might be surprised to hear about white supremacist activity in Iowa, but there have been a bunch of high profile incidents lately, to show just a few:

• https://www.kcci.com/article/some-iowa-city-residents-find-white-supremacist-flyers-on-lawns/15116891
  
  
• https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/29/mollie-tibbetts-robocall-brooklyn-iowa-immigration-white-supremacist-white-nationalist-neo-nazi/1134435002/
  
  
• https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/24/national-alliance-member-arrested-while-distributing-white-supremacist-flyers
  
  I'm not positive how this compares to the previous few years, but I would be surprised if we haven't seen an uptick.
  
  Honestly, the most important thing we can do is to vote Steve King out of office. Even the Congressional Republicans are sick of his racist crap, and are (finally!) starting to call it out, which should tell you something. Replacing him would send a very powerful message.
  
  Self-education is a big piece, too. I was in my early twenties when I decided that I hadn't learned enough about America's history with race in school, so I started trying to figure out what I should learn and know. I read a bunch of books, and the two I recommend the most are Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, which is about the modern day, and A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner, which is about the period immediately following the Civil War and how white people messed up the one shot we had as a country to really correct the evils of slavery at that moment in history. And one of the most shocking parts about the legacy of Reconstruction is that until very, very recently (like the 1980-90s) the most widely taught history of Reconstruction was that it went "too far" in helping former slaves and empowering black people (!!) not that our nation messed it up by ending Reconstruction less than fifteen years after starting it. Slavery, by contrast, existed in America for over two hundred years.
  
  And beyond just learning more, deciding to take action is most important. Be willing to attend community or town hall meetings if there is some kind of event. Join counter-protests if there are white supremacists in your community. Find or create opportunities to engage the public. I went to my first-ever Juneteenth event over the summer. I would love to see more towns and cities celebrate it. It's a great American holiday for anyone who loves freedom.

What's the Matter with Kansas? is a good read. Despite being more than a decade old, most of the points put forth in it are relevant today.

It's a good title, and lately I've seen "What's the Matter with Iowa?" and "What's the Matter with Trumpland?"

Sure, Congress ended the bracero program in 1964, and the next 15 years were steady increases in wages for farm workers in California until the mass migration of illegals came back. https://www.amazon.com/Union-Their-Dreams-Struggle-Movement/dp/1596914602/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=cesar+chavez+Miriam+Pawel&qid=1550583013&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

you likely wont regret buying this Heres the link to used copies. Basically it has every road in Iowa on it and all the public parks marked. We use it hunting every year and scribble in the sides where we see / kill deer, pheasant, etc so we know where to go next year. Each one has a description of the park.