A reference for professionals new to Iowa City-Cedar Rapids (ICR)
ICR African American and Black Resource Guide
ICR African American and Black Resource Guide
Juneteenth Celebration – Cedar Rapids
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in America. After the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, owners in many isolated areas kept word from their slaves so that they would not flee. On June 19, 1865, some of the last slaves in America were freed when the news at last reached Confederate Galveston, Texas. Since that day, Juneteenth has been celebrated to honor the African Americans who built this nation.
Iowa Soul & Blues Festival
The Soul & Blues Festival is a reworking of the former Iowa Soul Festival. Like its predecessor, the Soul & Blues Festival celebrates the music, dance, food, and art of the African and African-American communities that have influenced the culture of the United States as a whole. This event features local, regional, and national artists. Enjoy live entertainment, soul food, art inspired by African American culture, Fun Stops for the kids, and much more!
Jazz Under the Stars
Iowa’s Jazz Station, KCCK-FM presents “Jazz Under the Stars,” Thursdays in August. Join your friends and family for four free, family-friendly concerts. Bring your own picnic or enjoy tasty treats from one of our vendors!
Taste of Jazz Program!
This is a fun evening full of music, wine tasting and amazing food prepared by Kirkwood’s culinary students to raise funds for KCCK’s Jazz education! One of the best events of the year!
KCCK FM – Iowa’s Jazz Station
Jazz 88.3 KCCK is a no-commercial, educational FM radio station operated by Kirkwood Community College. KCCK enriches the Creative Corridor’s cultural environment through a variety of on-air programs and community outreach activities. Many of these programs center on the promotion and preservation of jazz, America’s only indigenous musical art form.
Uptown Live
UpTown Live is a venue that prides itself on live music and entertainment, local craft beer, traditional American food, and the unforgettable customer experience. We are dedicated to re-introducing blues and jazz to Eastern Iowa. Our one-of-a-kind venue welcomes outstanding blues and jazz artists from all over the country, as well as local cover bands and DJ-powered parties.
African American Museum of Iowa
The African American Museum of Iowa is a statewide museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and teaching Iowa’s African American history. As Iowa’s leading educational resource on the topic, we educate more than 30,000 people each year through museum tours, traveling exhibits, research services, youth and adult education programs, and community and fundraising events.
Kevin B.F. Burt
For more than 25 years Kevin “B.F.” Burt has been electrifying audiences throughout the Midwest dispelling the myth that true blues has no roots in Iowa. His soul-inspired presentation is unique which consistently get him compared to a range of artists like Bill Withers and Aaron Neville, with the ability to build an audience rapport that has been compared to B.B. King.
Ray Blue
Ray Blue’s music can be described as a fusion of straight-ahead jazz and rhythmic groove. Ray is a New York bred saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator who performs internationally.
KHAS – Internet Radio; The Heart & Soul of Iowa!
The goal of KHAS is to create a sense of community and networking for the African American community, where topics of health, wealth and lifestyle, education and community involvement can be realized. Musical genres such as R&B, Blues, Jazz, Gospel, radio friendly hip-hop and associated formats will be played.
Iowa City Jazz Festival
Come down for a three-day weekend of live jazz performances, delicious dishes, and cap off the weekend with a full-blown firework display over the University of Iowa Pentacrest. You’re sure to enjoy the music from all four stages, which showcase a variety of well-known jazz musicians and up-and-coming talent alongside national and international artists to encourage and educate a jazz audience of all ages.
The Hook
The Hook is an organization rooted in the concept that outsiders become insiders and strangers become friends when we know one another’s story. They produce dozens of events each year which tell the true stories of our community through poetry, art, dance, music, and personal narrative storytelling made popular by The Moth.
First Friday Jazz
What better way to start each month, than an evening of jazz at the Opus Concert Café. Offering an eclectic mix of the Corridor’s best jazz soloists and ensembles, each month features a new musical talent and their tribute to the genre that has defied the eras.
Corridor Cricket League
The Corridor Cricket League is a Leather Ball Cricket League in Eastern Iowa. The league began in June of 2017 and has players from Iowa City-Cedar Rapids.
Well-Read Black Girl Book Club
The Well-Read Black Girl movement started as an Instagram account created by author Glory Edim and has grown into a thriving online community and Brooklyn-based festival celebrating the literary contributions of black women. The African American Museum of Iowa (AAMI) partners with Next Page Books to host a book club which meets monthly to discuss selected books by women of color. Book selections range in genre and theme and are available to purchase at Next Page Books.
Blues & BBQ North Liberty
The North Liberty Blues & BBQ brings the community together for a free, family-friendly event under the umbrella of live, Iowa blues music and remarkable food. The festival is coordinated by the North Liberty Community Betterment Group with the goal of providing North Liberty residents and visitors an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the area without spending money.
Juneteenth Celebration – Iowa City Area
Juneteenth is the oldest holiday commemorating the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865. The day is often referred to as African American Emancipation Day, and is a celebration of freedom. Join the Iowa City Area community in commemorating this day during their annual Junteenth Celebration. Activities Include: Music & Live Entertainment, Youth Essay and Art Contest, Health & Resource Fair, & more
- Abundant Harvest Family Worship Center, Cedar Rapids
- Bethel AME Church, Cedar Rapids
- Community Evangelical Pentecostal Church, Cedar Rapids
- Gospel Tabernacle Church, Cedar Rapids
- Lifeline Ministries, Cedar Rapids
- Marion Christian Fellowship, Marion
- Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids
- Oakhill Jackson Community Church, Cedar Rapids
- Redemption Ministries, Cedar Rapids
- St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Cedar Rapids
- Bethel A.M.E. Church, Iowa City
- Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids (ICCR), Cedar Rapids
- The Mother Mosque of America, Cedar Rapids
- First Presbyterian Church, Iowa City
- Gospel Explosion Ministry, Iowa City
- The Kingdom Center, Iowa City
- New Creations International Church, Iowa City
Venus African Hair Braiding & Beauty Salon
1348 5th Street, Suite B
Coralville, IA 52241
Phone number: (319) 358-9602
La James International College & Day Spa
227 East Market Street
Iowa City, Ia 52245
Phone number: (319) 338-3926
MAI Best African Hair Braiding
626th Dubuque Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
Phone number: (319) 341-6007
Freda’s Beauty Rama
1028 12th Ave SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Phone number: (319) 366-6971
Iowa City Oriental & African Market
1055 Highway 6 E
Iowa City, IA 52240
Phone number: (319) 359-1248
Modina African Market
399 W Hwy 1
Iowa City, IA 52246
Phone number: (319) 855-5211
Cedar Rapids African and Oriental Market
2000 Wiley Blvd SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Phone number: (319) 396-4072
Kaff Oriental & African Market
1507 1st Ave SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Phone number: (319) 826-1214
World Food Market
1705 S. 1st Ave.
Iowa City, IA 52240
TOP RANK Professional and Executive Search and Training, Cedar Rapids
Top RANK is an executive job search firm and professional recruitment agency headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The firm provides professional direct-hire search and executive placement services for professional, mid-management, senior leadership, and executive roles. Top RANK strives to be the go-to source for diversity and inclusion in the workplace — ethnic minorities, people of color, women, military veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other underrepresented professionals.