Dana James

Des Moines native, Dana James, is an alumna of East High School and Grand View University and founder of Black Iowa News.

Ms. James founded Black Iowa News in 2020 after noticing gaps in news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically, the severe impacts of the virus on the Black community. Having worked for the Des Moines Register, as well as other publications, Dana knew she had the skills to make a difference. In 2020, she founded Black Iowa News.

Black Iowa News was initially delivered in the form of an email letter subscription. From 2020 to 2022, Black Iowa News’s readership continued to grow.  In preparation for the 2022 midterm elections, Ms. James distributed a print newsletter to 8,000 households.  In an age where misinformation and disinformation run rampant online, Dana James saw an opportunity to expand her contribution to an informed Black community and decided to pursue a print version of Black Iowa News. In 2023, Ms. James established Black Iowa Newspaper, the first Black newspaper in Iowa since the Iowa (State) Bystander ceased production in 1972. The presence of a physical newspaper in Black homes will, as James says, “contribute to an informed community,” and will be a reliable and relevant source of news that families can read and engage with together.

When the Iowa State Bystander was founded in 1894, it was in response to a need for Black people to see relevant, non-derogatory news about their communities. Dana James continues this proud tradition, covering Iowa’s Black community from the inside.

She is committed to amplifying Black experts, Black voices, and Black perspective to a Black audience. Always in search of the kinds of stories that don’t get told, Ms. James also creates a forum for (seemingly) ordinary folks to tell their own stories. In addition to Black Iowa News and Black Iowa Newspaper, Dana James co-hosts “Being Heard: 2 Black Women, Coffee, and Conversation” with Lya Williams.