Lou Parks is ‘All About the Kids’

Lou Parks, founder and executive director of the nonprofit All About the Kids, is set to open the Lucille Parks Community Center. An Open House will be held from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at 323 University Ave. in Des Moines.

Black Iowa News invites community leaders, business owners, artists and authors to discuss their work and the state of Black Iowa in the Black Iowa Newspaper. Here’s a piece about Parks.

Black Iowa News: Tell us about your work in Des Moines.

Lou Parks: I am the founder and executive director of All About the Kids, owner of the Polish King Food Truck, and I am currently working on opening a community center.

I founded All About the Kids in 2010 and officially obtained my 501(c)3 non-profit designation in 2021. All About the Kids’ mission is to create diverse programs that empower high-risk youth by focusing on their strengths, skills and self-esteem and assisting them in becoming valued members of their communities. I was raised in low-income housing and communities on the South Side of Chicago and truly understand the difficulties our youth face. My testimony fuels my passion to demonstrate to young lives that sometimes life sends us challenges; however, with a strong foundation, the right mentorship, discipline and education, they can become a stronger, successful leader.

I opened the Polish King Food Truck in the spring of 2021, with the vision of bringing the taste of home, Chicago style, to Des Moines. The intent was to bring great food and conversations and provide opportunities to those who may have difficulty gaining employment. I intend to create a work program for the youth that are in the All About the Kids programs so that they can work on the food truck, gain valuable communication skills, learn about how a business runs in a controlled environment, and, more importantly, obtain on-the-job, real-life work skills.

I am working on opening a community center in the heart of Des Moines. This is where All About the Kids will operate, but it is bigger than that. It will be named in honor of my grandmother who raised me — The Lucille Parks Community Center. It was in her home that I learned the value of faith, respect, community and how we can all lift together as one. It will be a place where individuals can gather, find resources, talk to people about issues they are having and truly support one another to find unity in our community.

What are the most pressing issues facing Black Iowans?

Lou Parks: I could talk all day about issues facing us as Black Iowans, but I will focus on the critical issues that I truly believe if we can make an impact, will be better for us all. The first is a lack of visibility and presence of leaders in our communities who can truly inspire change. When I grew up, I knew who the leaders of my community were, who I could go to in times of trouble for help, to be open and honest what was going on. I knew they cared about me and my success. We need new generational leadership that is truly present and active in the communities we serve. People want to know who they can identify with, not just showing up at events with cameras on. Our communities want to be able to find you at the local barbershop, at the gym, see you getting groceries, stopping at that corner QuikTrip, worshipping on Sundays. The community wants to know leaders’ day-to-day, meeting them where they are.

Nationally over the last year, crime statistics are down, but in recent months, we have seen significant increases in crime. Iowa has been in the news for two school shootings, which is heartbreaking. Yet my children are a part of the Des Moines School system, where this year, security was removed from buildings. One of my daughters’ schools had to go on a brief lockdown earlier this year to have a gun removed from the building. About a month ago, a young man bought food from our food truck, only to be shot and killed a few hours later that same night. I have had several young men come to find me on the food truck, wanting to order food but needing safety without causing issues with rival gangs at my establishment. Growing up, I knew the officers in our neighborhoods, there was a relationship so that when the police were needed, deescalation was possible. Now, the only time our families and children see the police is to arrest or take someone they love to jail. On top of that, there is a lack of trauma and psychological support, counseling solutions and mental health services for Black Americans. We need intervention and mental health resources to help make an impact on violence and crime in our communities.

The added stress of the impact of the economy, especially for low-income families, increases the tension. When multi-generational families live under one roof, only one or two people can work to help provide. As costs continue to rise, the extra money for shoes, clothes and gas in the car is evaporated by the costs to provide food for the family. Free resources are harder to find. Activities to keep your children engaged and out of trouble aren’t free. At one time when I was the program director at the Boys and Girls Club, kids could come in ree, now there is a fee. You could walk into the YMCA, but now it costs money. Access to free resources is critical.

All of these issues can be summarized by a lack of unity. The political landscape is so polarized, with misinformation feeding violence and hate. We teach our kids they can learn from the news, but yet even which news channel they watch influences their opinions. We used to hear about all the great things happening in our community, but the news focuses on negativity in our nation and local communities. Imagine if the news channels only covered God’s works and miracles, how many of us would tune in? Without opportunities and locations to have a healthy, respectful meeting of the minds and debates, we will continue to see division in the community.

What are some possible solutions to the challenges facing Black Iowans?

Lou Parks: The first is opportunities and resources to bring the community together. This passion is why I have been working to open a community center here in Des Moines. will be in honor of my grandmother, who raised me in those projects on the southside, a location for people to come together, discuss issues, have a safe, free place to come and have someone who can listen and help them. Somewhere, we can bring common people together to make an impact. My family and I have a passion to make a difference; therefore, we are opening this building in hopes that others will come to help us build a brighter future for our children.

What about police involvement?

Lou Parks: There is a role for police, but there is an opportunity for children to make mistakes and learn from them without being stuck in the system. I made many mistakes, but I had a praying grandmother and a support system to help better myself and learn. The youth need encouragement and proper mental health resources. They need authority figures who can extend their hands to help and be supportive rather than looking down and condemning them.

More leaders to step up to the plate. If we all remember who shaped our lives, it was those positive mentors, role models and believers in us. It was the coaches, pastors, elders and grandmothers who prayed. We need the next generation of leadership to bridge the gap and prepare for the generations behind us.

How concerned are you about the direction Iowa is headed?

Lou Parks: I am concerned about the direction Iowa is headed. As I mentioned before, the lack of visible leadership is prevalent. This is causing divisiveness throughout our state. The reason I stayed in Iowa after graduating college was because of the safety, connectedness and sense of community. We had leaders that were out working with everyone. Politics could be healthily debated, and others’ opinions could be voiced and respected, even if they were different than our own. The one thing that always remained was after the debate, leaders would agree on a vision to make change, make peace and direction on how to truly make a difference and impact together. That does not exist today.

Society has become very individualistic, as has the State of Iowa. Polarized political opinions have caused a lack of resources in some areas. Solutions are targeted at specific causes or only those people who look like you, talk like you and overall are the same as you. When we find ourselves talking about the violence in our areas – I hear things like the kids just out of control, it’s the parent’s fault, it’s social media, it is bigger city influences here in the local community, the influx of “others not like us, sometimes even fear of what could happen. All individual issues, rather than systemic solutions.

Funding from government and private sources is specifically targeted at metric-based outcomes; sometimes, society simply cannot be measured by a number. I feel we all agree on one thing: we do want safe communities and positive change. We are more powerful together. We can have hope, we can drive unity, and we can lift one another up in order to grow as individuals and our entire state together.