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
Researching Black Women is Awesome
“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
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