Inspired by social justice protests, Zakariyah Hill nurtures new nonprofit to nourish the Des Moines community
This story is part of the Des Moines Register’s People to Watch in 2021 series. The stories highlight Iowans we expect great things from in the coming year.
Des Moines Register
Zakariyah Hill woke up June 2 consumed with a need to do more for her community than hold up a sign and march.
It was just a few days into what would become a summer of protests against racism and police brutality in Des Moines and across the nation ignited by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
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The Home Owners Loan Corporation created this risk assessment map for Des Moines in the 1930s, and it s still affecting Black residents today.
White Iowans own their homes at nearly three times the rate of Black Iowans, one of the biggest racial homeownership gaps in the country. Nationally, this gap is wider than it was 50 years ago, because discriminatory housing policies and practices of the past and present are still hurting Black families and their ability to build generational wealth.
Bobbretta Brewton remembers when the city of Des Moines bought her family’s house to destroy it.
“I was born and raised here. And when I was 8 years old, our family was impacted by urban renewal,” Brewton said. “And it was a home that my grandmother worked really hard to buy and own, and then share with my father’s family, which included me.”