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Abraham Funchness Jr.

Abraham Funchness Jr., director of Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans plans to use The Covenant suggestions and policy goals to shape a strategic and progressive plan for Black Iowans. Funchness believes "this will encourage [his] brothers and sisters in Iowa that [they’re] not doing anything in isolation, but in fact [they’re] doing it as a part of a larger framework for African Americans across the entire nation".

In order to develop a comprehensive agenda for the agency housed within the state’s Department of Human Rights, Funchness has taken it upon himself to tour Iowa seeking public input and soliciting support and interest. Once their plan is finalized, the commission is in a better position to demand an increased budget to help them create change. Currently the commission offers the following programs and services that support the message of the Covenant with Black America: Healthy Connections, a health outreach and free clinic that focuses on pre-natal care, STD and HIV / AIDS testing; Men of Vision, a Young Men's Group bringing male youth and young adults together for mentoring and to assist in the rights of passage into manhood; and Sunday Community Meal, a feeding program that offers a free "Home Cooked" dinner for the homeless. With Abraham Funchness as the new director, the Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans in on the road to advancing The Covenant.