“The most disrespected person in America, is the black woman. The most un-protected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America, is the black woman.” - Malcolm X One hallmark of this type of disrespect is the post-Civil war custom of refusing Black women any sort of honorific. “Auntie” or “Girl” … Continue reading Researching Black Women is Awesome
Archie Alexander and Highland Park College
Established in 1890, Highland Park College was located at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Euclid in Des Moines. In 1908 the college made the front page of the Des Moines Register, lamenting the loss of a (white) star football player found himself unable to compete, on or off the field, with newly admitted Black … Continue reading Archie Alexander and Highland Park College
Researching Black Ministers is Hard
When I started planning 2024’s Black History month content, I had aspirations of featuring a minister every Monday…because Minister Monday is catchy, right? Despite having a notebook full of names, I got really hung up on initials. Almost all Iowa’s late 19th century/early 20th century ministers went by their first and middle initials in newspaper … Continue reading Researching Black Ministers is Hard
Reverend T.L. Griffith’s Response to Atlanta Race Riots of 1906
Reverend T.L. Griffith of Corinthian Baptist Church delivered an address to “almost all of the city’s approximately 600 negroes” in response to the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906. In his address, he acknowledged the wrongs to the Black community and called on the audience to stand for the betterment of the community, urging restraint in … Continue reading Reverend T.L. Griffith’s Response to Atlanta Race Riots of 1906
Church Metrics: The Legacy of T.L. Griffith
In December of 1908, Corinthian Baptist’s minister TL Griffith announced his resignation. His plan was to move to Denver, Colorado, and pastor Zion Church, which was, at the time, the largest Black church in the US. In January, 1909, the Register reported that the congregation passed a resolution (including a letter to Zion Church’s congregation) … Continue reading Church Metrics: The Legacy of T.L. Griffith
Voter Suppression in 2023
Today I want to talk about modern voter suppression and the importance of staying vigilant. Shortly ahead of the 2016 presidential election a friend in St. Louis had her voter registration purged, despite having never missed an election. Until this point, it hadn’t occurred toma me that someone like me, who carries the privileges of … Continue reading Voter Suppression in 2023
What We’re Reading: August-September ’23 Edition
Much of August was dedicated to wrapping up the research and writing for our recent exhibit on Impactful Black Women in Des Moines, which debuted on August 27 at SistaSoulFest in Des Moines, Iowa. I didn't get to read as many books as I would have liked. Here's what I read, as well as a … Continue reading What We’re Reading: August-September ’23 Edition
Willie Stevenson Glanton
Willie Stevenson Glanton was born and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Her father, E.S. Stevenson was a hotel manager, Baptist church deacon, and founder of the Hot Springs, Arkansas Negro Civic League. He believed that women should be teachers. Willie attended Tennessee State College in Nashville, TN where she was a member of the History … Continue reading Willie Stevenson Glanton
Edna Griffin
Sometimes referred to as “Iowa’s Rosa Parks,” Edna Griffin was a freedom fighter long before the televised Civil Rights protests that marked the 1950s and 1960s. In 1948, Edna Griffin filed a suit against Katz Drug Store in Des Moines after being denied service due to her race. She was joined by two Black men, … Continue reading Edna Griffin
Harriette Curley – Des Moines’ First Black Teacher
In 1946, eight years before Brown v. Topeka, Harriette Curley graduated at the top of her teachers’ program at Drake University and was hired on as a kindergarten teacher at Perkins Elementary School. A group of neighbors attempted to pressure Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Newell McCombs to remove Ms. Curley, claiming that a Black … Continue reading Harriette Curley – Des Moines’ First Black Teacher
Black Church Musings
Last weekend I returned to my alma mater, Grinnell College, for Black Alumni Weekend. Yes: Even in the face of attacks on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), higher-ed, and increasingly pervasive anti-Blackness, we still got to celebrate ourselves in public. There is an old adage that where you spend your money reflects your values. … Continue reading Black Church Musings
Current Events in the 515
I had another post drafted, but it seemed a bit frivolous given current events in the Des Moines, Iowa metro. As a proud graduate of Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), and the child of a DMPS teacher, I am shocked and heartbroken over the arrest of Superintendent Ian Roberts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), … Continue reading Current Events in the 515
Finding Hate In Our History
This post has been two years in the making. It has been a tremendous challenge to gather the words to confront this topic: What happens when you find hate in your history? In 2022 and 2024, summer interns encountered anti LGBTQ+ bigotry while researching Black churches in Central Iowa. It was hard to know what … Continue reading Finding Hate In Our History
Auntie Fletcher
From her arrival in the late1860s to her death in December, 1912, Auntie Fletcher was one of the best known Black women in Des Moines. For years she worked as a laundress for white pioneer and settler families. Towards the end of her life, Auntie Fletcher lived at the foot of a public dump the … Continue reading Auntie Fletcher
Lessons from Earthseed: How to Survive in a Seemingly Doomed World
“I was attracted to science fiction because it was so wide open. I was able to do anything and there were no walls to hem you in and there was no human condition that you were stopped from examining.” -Octavia Butler This summer I read the second installment of sci-fi phenom Octavia Butler’s Earthseed series, Parable … Continue reading Lessons from Earthseed: How to Survive in a Seemingly Doomed World
47+ Years of Service in Des Moines
Reverend George Parrish was born in Boone, Iowa in 1914. He was primarily raised by his grandmother—who was a traveling midwife—leading him to finish high school outside of Iowa and pursue higher education at a Bible college in Nashville, Tennessee and the Western Bible School in Kansas City, Missouri. He returned to Iowa in 1936, … Continue reading 47+ Years of Service in Des Moines
Finding the First Lady
On June 3, 1973 Des Moines lost a true first lady: Audra Alexander. While some knew her solely as the wife of Archie Alexander many more recognized her as an actress, socialite, philanthropist and connoisseur of the arts. Initially, my research, found it challenging to uncover her contributions, as she seemed was overshadowed by the … Continue reading Finding the First Lady
2024 Summer Internship
Time is funny. June 10 was the first day of the Iowa Black History Research Collective's second internship. The summer seemed vast and never ending. Now it is late July, we have about three weeks left, and students will be back to school in roughly a month. This summer it has been a tremendous pleasure … Continue reading 2024 Summer Internship
The Challenges of Researching Black Churches
Researching Black churches using newspapers is quite tricky. Information from obituaries and weekly events are plentiful, but finding when a church’s name or location changes and consistent information on its development can be cumbersome. You have to notice patterns and think creatively. This summer we are focused on the Maple Street Baptist Church and one … Continue reading The Challenges of Researching Black Churches