Brett Foreman

I helped create the #DiversityIsOurStrength project, working as Project Documentation (Lead), and on the Wheat Paste, and Scanning teams.

My Family History

My father’s family moved from Germany to the U.S. in the early 1900s. My great grandpa Fürhmann first worked as a woodsmith and eventually owned his own lumberyard. At some point, my family Americanized their last name to “Foreman.” On my mother’s side, the Dickey’s came from Germany as well. My grandfather, Philip Dickey Sr., worked for a publishing warehouse and was killed in a forklift accident when my mother was four.

Living in Iowa

I grew up in Grimes, IA and now attend the University of Northern Iowa. I love this state and want to live here, or at least in the midwest, my entire life. Life seems simpler here. Every year my family goes on vacation and we usually end up in a big city where the traffic is heavy and everything you do is stressful. The people in Iowa are genuine, caring, and forgive easily. It is not the fields, the sunsets, or land that makes me love Iowa; it is the people. Iowa nice is a real thing and something I never want to leave.

My Dreams

I am good at sports, social media, photoshop, and photography. I want to be a sports photographer and graphic designer and work for a professional sports or Division I athletic team. My job at UNI Athletics has given me a great stepping stone to work at a huge school in another state.

A Teacher Who Changed My Life

Michael Burger, Art teacher, Dallas Center Grimes High School. Mr. Burger really challenged me in graphic design and helped my decision in what major I would choose at UNI (He also went to UNI).

My Favorite Thing

A baseball.

I grew up adoring baseball and still play it. Summertime is best because I am always at the ball field. I am also working for a baseball team this summer in Illinois so that will keep me around the game too.

What #DIVERSITYISOURSTRENGTH means to me

I was oblivious to the Waterloo statistics about educational and general inequality in the Cedar Valley before working on this project. Diversity is not something I have yet experienced too much yet and I am excited to be part of something bigger than myself.

Alex Knospe Amanda Jensen Annebel Trumm Ben VanHorn Brett Foreman Colin Hughes Connor Gibson Dakota Davis Elexia San Nicolas Hannah Stater Kalei Owens Leslie Owusu Madison Watland Preston Larson Reagan Saul Sami Enos

#DiversityIsOurStrength is a public web and mural project developed by Interactive Digital Studies (IDS) majors at the University of Northern Iowa. IDS is an interdisciplinary program focusing on creating digital experiences. We are using what we’ve learned in our culminating IDS Practicum course to create a highly visible public project that both addresses the challenges and embraces the future of educational diversity in the Cedar Valley.

One inspiration for this project came from the 24/7 Wall Street article that identified Waterloo and Cedar Falls as the #1 worst metro area for Black Americans in 2018. Having this distinction continues to be disturbing for all of us. Our second inspiration comes from 1619 Project, a New York Times initiative led by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Waterloo native Nikole Hannah-Jones. The project reframes the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

Thank you to literacy educator Dr. Shuaib Meacham, Associate Professor at the University of Iowa, who has guided this project.

Also thank you to Anthony Woodley and Mack Vos for helping in the final stages of the project. Due to COVID-19, the project became delayed and was unable to be completed by the end of the spring semester, and without their help, the project could not have been finished.

PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

Contact Us

Email: diversitystrength@uni.edu