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Cedar Rapids trailblazer Cecil Reed a leader in Black civic progress
Cecil Reed, born 1913, became Iowa's first Black Republican legislator and Cedar Rapids civic bureau chair. He helped pass the fair housing law, later served as Iowa employment security commissioner, and held roles in federal manpower and Job Corps programs. He donated land for a neighborhood park in the Sepia area and built a thriving Black business and community hub.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Barack Obama
United States
Cecil Reed
Civic Bureau
The
Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce
Iowa
Reed
House
Harold Hughes
the Gazette
America
Kansas City
Kansas
Missouri
Nebraska
Job Corps