Minorities report workplace discrimination

CEDAR RAPIDS - A new study suggests more people in Eastern Iowa are feeling discriminated against at their jobs.

Cedar Rapids-based Diversity Focus conducted the study from February to March. Among those the organization surveyed were women, people with disabilities, those who identify as LGBT, blacks and Latinos. The 1,200 respondents said they live in Benton, Linn, Jones, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar and Washington counties.

Employment was the top discrimination issue for the groups, with 26 percent saying they experienced it sometimes or frequently. That's up from 21 percent since the group's first study in 2008.

“The community definitely needs to do some work. While there are a couple little positives that came out of the survey, it still shows that we have a lot of work to be done,” said Becky Lutgen Gardner, Diversity Focus' communications director.

Seventy-two percent of blacks reported discrimination on the job, which didn't come as a surprise to local NAACP representatives.

“I think that unfortunately there are some things going backwards, instead of forwards,” NAACP Cedar Rapids President Dedric Doolin said.

Doolin said employment discrimination also is a national concern. To change the pattern, he urges people to report when it occurs.

“People are afraid to speak up for fear they'd lose their job. If you've got kids and a family to feed, you might try to take a little bit more than you might have taken if that wasn't the case,” Doolin said.