Des Moines native, Dana James, is an alumna of East High School and Grand View University and founder of Black Iowa News. Ms. James founded Black Iowa News in 2020 after noticing gaps in news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically, the severe impacts of the virus on the Black community. Having worked for the … Continue reading Dana James
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
Evelyn K. Davis
Evelyn K. Davis is best known for her tireless and unwavering advocacy for Black children and families in the Des Moines metro. In the 1960s. Evelyn K. Davis was the director of the Oakridge Opportunity Center. The Oakridge Opportunity Center offered high school equivalency courses, as well as instruction in music, art, and sewing. The … Continue reading Evelyn K. Davis
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
“Hide Enslavements” – The Plot Thickens
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 … Continue reading “Hide Enslavements” – The Plot Thickens
“Hide Enslavements”
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 … Continue reading “Hide Enslavements”
Summer Reading – July ’23
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 … Continue reading Summer Reading – July ’23
Rewind to April/Fast Forward to July
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 … Continue reading Rewind to April/Fast Forward to July