When her kids’ schools moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Claudia Longoria wasn’t sure what to do. Her kids, ages 12, 10 and 5, would be home all day, and Longoria and her husband both work full time outside of the home.
During the first week of online learning, she took off from work to support her kids, and quickly realized the older two wouldn’t be able to focus on school while being responsible for the 5-year-old.
“I told my husband I thought I would have to quit my job,” Longoria says. “I couldn’t really afford to quit, but I knew that if my kids were home alone, they would probably fall behind.”
Representing Iowa Friday, December 11, 2020 6:00 AM
When 2020 hits the history books, Capital City Pride will remember a major shift. After 43 years, Capital City Pride now has the largest and most diverse board of directors in its history including the first all-female president/vice president team the organization has had.
“It literally happened in the matter of two to three years,” said President Jen Carruthers, who was joined this year by Vice President Hillary Gardner.
It’s part of a push in the last two years to attract a diverse, younger leadership in an authentic way, Carruthers said, similar to how she was recruited two years ago by former President Dan Jansen, now a board adviser. Carruthers is only the second female president in Capital City Pride’s recorded history, although some early data may have been lost with inconsistent records kept over time, she said.