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IowaPolitics.com: Wayne Ford takes House through history of black civil rights in retirement speech
3/19/2010

By Lynn Campbell
IowaPolitics.com

At least one Democratic staffer was moved to tears this morning after Rep. Wayne Ford, D-Des Moines, gave his retirement speech in the Iowa House, taking the chamber through a history of black civil rights and his 14 years in the Legislature.

"This has really been a unique journey," said Ford, who is Iowa's longest-serving African-American in the Iowa General Assembly.

Ford said he's glad that he's leaving this way, having never lost a primary or general election in his seven terms. He said his political success came after his eighth-grade English teacher asked him and his classmates to write their own obituaries.

"There are some things about me that you all do not know," Ford said. "Death has always been a common denominator in my life. All my life, people die early for eating the wrong food or getting shot. So when I talk about the way I do, all of you all are products of your experience."

Ford said he was chosen "most likely not to succeed in life" by his high school senior class in Washington, D.C. because he was robbing buses late at night. But even in that eighth-grade obituary, Ford predicted that he'd be living in the Midwest, in charge of a community center, involved in politics and that upon his death, something would be named after him.

Ford, a former Drake University football player, was elected to the Iowa House in 1996 and said he did not speak in the House chamber for four full years. Since then, he's authored more than 1,400 bills and amendments over 14 years and has gotten about 10 to 15 percent approved.

"I've been called the father of the lead paint prevention movement," he said. In addition, "Polk County is the only place in America where bouncers, night club bouncers, have to be trained before they can get their liquor license. That came because I promised the mother of Charles Lovelady his death would not be in vain."

Ford took the chamber on a walk through history of black civil rights, starting with the 1800s. The timeline included 1880, when the Iowa Constitution was amended to allow African-American men to serve in the General Assembly. Today, Ford is one of six African-Americans in the Iowa House. A woman running to succeed him, Ruth Ann Gaines, is also black.

"The Iowa House has more black legislators than its ever had before," Ford said, naming Reps. Phyllis Thede, Helen Miller, Deborah Berry, Ako Abdul-Samad and Kerry Burt.

Ford thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, for being fair to him, and House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, for giving him positions of authority. "You have talked about your passion for people of color in a way that makes me feel honored," he said. "To both of you, Pat and Kevin: The state of Iowa is less color-blind because of your leadership. Keep up the good work."

He delivered his speech in his usual loud, passionate, barking style that echoed through the House chamber and sometimes poked fun at himself. "Even the third house, which is the lobby. To my lobby associates: All those rumors that I heard that I am hard to communicate with, you don't believe that, do you?" he asked to the laughter of the chamber.

And then to his clerk Jason: "I got rid of most of my clerks early. It's well documented. It's hard to work with Representative Ford. You all leave, he's still here late at night. You all know how I am. But Jason, you are the first person that I've ever met who picked up quickly my bad English and made it sound proper. Your future is bright."

Ford is co-founder of the Brown and Black Presidential Forum, which he said he started because "the poor people and minorities need to have their own forum." He was included in Dan Rather's book called "The American Dream," and said he loves Iowa and is proud to be a Democrat.

"Me and Mary Campos started a forum and a shot heard around the world," he said. "And because of that forum you see that picture there (of President Obama)? That's the end product. A young man. Our gift was to make sure a minority can win the Iowa caucus and one day, a minority can become president. We lived that long to see it."


Listen to Ford's speech
See a slideshow of photos


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