One Iowa City activist is working to bring more awareness to aiding minority youth and combating racial discrimination.

The Cup O’ Justice — an installment for the yearlong series of discussions on social justice, civil rights, and civic engagement — event Wednesday welcomed Henri Harper, the executive director of KoNec, a diversity cultural awareness program in Iowa City. Harper is also a community outreach specialist for the Iowa City police.

Throughout his talk entitled “Are You Choosing Your Journey?”, Harper shared his experiences, insights, and opinions as a black man working to change a discriminatory culture.

Harper has been an activist and catalyst for change for many years. He worked for the Johnson County Juvenile Court for five years and the Iowa City School District for more than a decade.

His talk centered on minority youth and their lack of opportunity as well as communities’ refusal to truly confront racial discrimination.

“If we don’t let people be who they are, your kids are going to be here talking about the same race issues,” Harper said. “I’m tired of numbers, statistics, and meetings. We as black people are tired. Give us what we want and hold us accountable. Give us a job and hold us accountable.”

Harper also said there needs to be more of a push to diversify the workplace.

“We are enslaved by economics. We can’t say anything that will make us lose our jobs,” Harper said. “I’m here to talk about black issues, but when I bring them up, nobody will listen. They say I’m a radical, and I’m not making any sense.”

Harper’s honest, blunt perspective resonated with one audience member, Yan Jang, who said it was interesting to hear a new point of view.

“This is a very new topic to me,” Jang said. “He mentioned that it’s more like opening a door to another glance to a new world, and I think that is right.”

Throughout his time working for the School District, Harper saw a distinct need to bring students together to build relationships and advantageous school habits. He went on to found FasTrac, an organization dedicated to helping students fulfill their goals in school and onward.

“Our kids do well with structure,” Harper said. “They want to know they’re cared for.”

FasTrac lost its financial footing in 2013, but the program just recently began raising funds once again.

Sara Riggs, a member of the equity committee for the School District, said she feels Harper’s efforts to spark change in the system are important.