Iowa Democrats Will Rename Jefferson Jackson Dinner

Iowa's Jefferson Jackson dinner is ending -- in name only.

After this year's event, the Iowa Democratic Party will change the name of the annual fundraiser in response to Democratic leaders' and activists' concerns that the name honored former slaveholders, the party announced Saturday.

"This was not a decision that was made lightly," Andy McGuire, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, said in a statement. "The vote today confirms that our party believes it is important to change the name of the dinner to align with the values of our modern day Democratic Party: inclusiveness, diversity and equality."

The Democratic Party's State Central Committee voted on Saturday in favor of changing the name. The process to choose a new name will be as "inclusive as possible," McGuire added.

The decision comes after Democrats in Connecticut, Missouri, Georgia and Maine chose to change the dinner's name in their states.

The dinner, commonly referred to as "the JJ dinner," is a big fundraiser each year for Democrats and has drawn prominent party members including President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.