gaddisju Always Learning, Black Women, Research Credit: Juliana Gaddis, What We're Reading

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 

gaddisju Always Learning, Black Women, Research Credit: Juliana Gaddis

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

karibassett Agile, Always Learning, Black Churches, Black Women, Research Credit: Hayley Carson, Research Credit: Juliana Gaddis

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