Black history research collective

A few days ago, I was in the Des Moines Register archives and noticed a curious new filtering option: A checkbox that said, “Hide Enslavements.” Someone from The Register reached out to say that their archives, like those of countless other newspapers across the United States, are hosted by Newspapers.com, and that the offending checkbox belongs to them. Newspapers.com has not responded to my queries.

Then, an Instagram follower chimed in that when you search via the “Collections” tab on Newspapers.com, the checkbox situation looks quite a bit different. There’s a checkbox to select only Black History, and a new beta checkbox to for the new “Enslavements Collection.” Of course, none of these are visible to me via my Des Moines Register archives account. The ability to filter for Black History only would have come in handy as I was researching Evelyn Davis: there were a several white women by the same name in the Des Moines, Iowa metro in the 1950s and 1960s.

Theoretically, there shouldn’t have been any enslavements to exclude in Iowa, but I had to double check and blessedly did not uncover a secret slave trade in my home state. The ability to search only for enslavements will be a tremendous help to Black Americans to track down family histories.

So, what’s the problem? This all sounds positive, right? Yes and no – this also points to a lack of diversity in corporate environments and on development teams. I’ve worked in corporate information technology for over 20 years – I’ve been a Business Analyst, a Tester/QA, a developer, and more – please indulge me while I walk through how something like this even happened in the first place. First, someone from the business end said, “Hey, IT people – we need this new checkbox.” A business analyst documented the requirement. A developer wrote the code, which was likely peer reviewed by a second developer. A tester confirmed the change. The person who originally requested the change also tested and signed off, “yep – that’s exactly what we asked for!” I’m assuming that everyone in this chain was white. As someone who has been the only Black member on most of the IT teams I’ve been part of, I would absolutely not feel comfortable typing the words, “Hide Enslavements” in my business requirements, or my acceptance criteria, or my code, or my test result documentation. If there was a melanated member of the Global majority on the team, did this person feel comfortable raising a red flag? If so, did anyone listen? Or did that team member get dinged on their review for “tone” or “not being a team player.” Troubling stuff.

Now let’s look at this from a policy perspective. Since 2020, multiple states, including Iowa, have passed bills prohibiting the teaching of “divisive concepts” in public schools and universities. This past year, we’ve seen several state legislatures go after public libraries for the same reason. It’s totally plausible that a checkbox to “Hide Enslavements” could be selected and locked down as the default, effectively blocking students and library patrons from accessing important parts of United States’ history. Again, who is this protecting? Certainly not me. Black people in the Americas already know we’re not indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. We know how we got here. We know that if we want to know our history, some of that is going to be found among property records, including public auctions and even insurance policies.

We must stay vigilant our institutions and their respective ecosystems become more complex and convoluted. We must demand better from employers. Speak up. Ask the hard, uncomfortable questions. We must be bold.

This afternoon I was in the Des Moines Register (a Gannett newspaper) archives and I noticed a new option in my filters. In addition to being able to hide marriages and obituaries, subscribers can now hide enslavements.

This is a pretty clear example of systemic racism and systemic erasure in action. Who benefits from being able to filter out old newspaper ads and articles which documented one of the United States’ original sin, the “peculiar institution” that was American race-based chattel slavery. People who are descendants of slavery, generally speaking, already know it. Is it a source of pride? Not really. It’s not our shame to bear, either. Who is served by being able to filter out any and all references of slavery? White supremacy benefits, that’s who.

It seems contradictory to the purpose and ethics of journalism to cater to those who are committed to ignorance. We deserve better in our media.

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was read. During the summer, I would ride my orange banana seat bike to Franklin Library where I’d load up on books, filling my backpack AND the little white, plastic bike basket that was popular among little girls in the 1980s. I made this trip about three times every week. It’s been an absolute delight to have some extra time this summer to read for both learning and pleasure. Here’s what I read in July.

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson follows the stories of Black Americans who made the Great Migration, escaping the Jim Crow South in hopes of a better life up North. The violence and conditions these people fled were horrific and shocking. Their disappointment in the “Benevolent North” was equally heartbreaking: while there wasn’t a constant threat of physical violence, the humiliations of discrimination and segregation were still, unfortunately, a fact of life.

The Roughest Riders by Jerome Tuccille tells the story of the Buffalo Soldiers in the Spanish American War. Spoiler Alert: Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders didn’t take San Juan Hill in Cuba all by themselves. The Buffalo Soldiers went first, fighting fiercely and clearing the way. And this was after having experienced conditions on the boat from Florida to Cuba that were wayyyyy too similar to what Africans endured during the Middle Passage.

Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest chronicles story of a high school senior named Effie, and her college search as someone who uses a wheelchair. There are lots of strong messages about performative diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging (DEIB) by individuals and institutions and the importance of seeking out environments that are ready for diversity.

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai recounts the author’s experience growing up in Pakistan and the rise of the Taliban and affiliated groups in the region. Malala famously defied the Taliban by continuing to attend school and speaking out in favor of education for girls and women.

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge spins a tale of a Black free-born woman around the time of the American Civil War. The story centers around the relationship between Libertie and her mother, and the title character’s journey towards emotional/vocational freedom and independence.

The Faeries of Octobay by Katherine Sturges is a sweet, gorgeous story about loving the environment and each other. The watercolor illustrations are absolutely stunning.

April was a big month for Iowa Black History Research Collective. In addition to bringing on three new board members, I was invited chat with Dana James and Lya Williams from Black Iowa News on their podcast, Being Heard: 2 Black Women, Coffee & Conversation. You can check it out on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

A few weeks later, a gentleman by the name of Bill Douglas, contacted me. Bill is a religious historian, a pacifist, and former leader of Iowa’s Socialist Party. He is writing a book about Iowa’s religious history and found himself stuck and unable to find much information on Black Pentecostals (Church of God in Christ, or COGIC).

Fast forward to July: We met up at the Des Moines Central Library, exchanged some information, and nerded out on the intersections of Iowa’s religious and racial history. We looked through the 1927 Des Moines City Registry (sort of like a phone book with just addresses) and were able to determine that Des Moines’ New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ had been home to a Brethren congregation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Bill and I continue to correspond, exchanging leads and odd bits of information. Despite it not feeling like my “best” interview, I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to be in community with folks like Dana, Lya, and Bill.

There comes a time in the life of any new non-profit when the board turns over. I’m told that this is typical around the two year mark, which was the case for Iowa Black History Research Collective. I am so grateful to each of our founding board members for taking a leap and signing on in May of 2021, a time when so many were completely burned out after a year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, their lives have changed, and they’ve needed to clear more space for family, as well as other personal and professional commitments.

Figuring out a new board was extremely daunting. I’m still vexxed. How do people DO this? How do people KNOW people?

When I first dreamed up the Iowa Black HIstory Research Collective, I envisioned that there would be a former intern on the board to provide input from the student perspective. I was absolutely thrilled when Evelynn Coffie, one of our 2022 interns, said yes!

Last year, we added Dr. Sarah Purcell as an Affiliated Researcher and History Advisor. Earlier this spring, we decided to make this role into a board seat. I’m thrilled to have Sarah’s expertise and look forward to her assistance with census mapping.

Finally, Loretta Windsor will be joining us as a Treasurer. Loretta is well known for her work empowering Black women and girls in Central Iowa, and creating spaces where everyone can succeed. Loretta was the founder of Women of Purpose, a group formed to support women and families in need. She went on to form SiSTAR Girl Talk, a monthly mediation and discussion group. Last but not least, Loretta is the creator of SistaSoulFest, Iowa’s largest Black-women led vendor festival. Under Loretta’s leadership, SistaSoulFest has continued to grow and expand to North Carolina.

Whew! It’s been a while. Where have we been? What have we been up to? Why did the site go dark?

Where have we been: On a personal note, last October, our family lost our cousin, Candace. Less than a month later, my dad passed away. It became important to take time and make room for grief. Don’t get me wrong – there has also been a lot of joy: This spring I was privileged to celebrate two weddings, my son’s 10th birthday, and two nieces who both got their high school diploma and their associates degree AT THE SAME TIME. I’m also thrilled to announce that I rejoined the homeowners club in May.

We’ve also had some organizational changes. We’ve had three of our original board members transition to emeritus. Vice President Emeritus, Dr. Simone Sorteberg is now a tenured professor of education at Grand View University in Des Moines. Simone also directs Grandview’s Center For Excellence In Teaching & Learning. I can’t imagine a better person to teach and mentor tomorrow’s educators. Co-treasurer Emeritus Tarrita Spicer continues her journey as an entrepeneur and inspiration for Black women in Des Moines. Earlier this year, Tarrita completed the Drake University-Evelyn Davis Small Business Accelerator Program, and competed in Athene’s Black and Brown Business Summit Pitch Competition. Arnold Woods III, our other Co-Treasurer Emeritus continues his work as the Director for Multicultural Student Success at Iowa State University, as well as leading the Coalition of Black Male Students.

Stay tuned for announcements about our new board members and plans for the remainder of 2023.