The Iowa chapter of the NAACP has backed away from its threat to withdraw from an investigation of racial bias in the Iowa Workforce Development agency.
The NAACP in Iowa had scheduled an 11 o’clock news conference this morning to announce why the group no longer wanted to lead Governor Vilsack’s investigation of racial bias in hiring and promotion within that state agency. Vilsack and his staff apparently engaged in a weekend of intense lobbying and convinced NAACP leaders to back away from their threat.
In a prepared statement, the NAACP said there had been “considerable progress over the weekend with the Governor and his staff in strengthening and improving the overall investigation.” In addition, the governor has agreed to hire an independent investigator to review the allegations.
Thirteen black employees in the Iowa Workforce Development agency say they were repeatedly passed over for promotion because of their race, while less-qualified white employees got the promotions.
The NAACP said the governor’s committment to fully investigating those complaints had “waned” in recent weeks and that was why they threatened to withdraw from the process.