Iowa Civil Rights History
Discover Iowa’s role in the advancement of civil rights. Learn how landmark Iowa court cases, the Iowa Underground Railroad, Iowa towns like Buxton, and Iowa civil rights pioneers like Alexander G. Clark, Ralph Montgomery, Edna Griffin, and more guided the future of the state and the nation. We will look at how the nation’s path forward might be discovered by gleaning the wisdom of Iowa's history. For any questions or suggestions, please email Erick at iacivilrightshistorypodcast@gmail.com
Episodes
43 episodes
The Western Family Farm - (Todd Western III)
Thomas and Susannah Western were born into slavery in Virginia. Upon getting their freedom, they decided to head west in search of a better life.In 1864 Thomas and Susannah Western bought their first 80 acres of Farm in Iowa a...
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56:49
Carrie Chapman Catt - (Karen Kedrowski) - Part 2
Part 2 of the conversation on Carrie Chapman Catt Catt was born on January 9, 1859, in Ripon, Wisconsin, the second of three children of Lucius and Maria (Clinton) Lane. In 1866, at the close of the Civil War...
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50:52
Carrie Chapman Catt - (Karen Kedrowski) - Part 1
Catt was born on January 9, 1859, in Ripon, Wisconsin, the second of three children of Lucius and Maria (Clinton) Lane. In 1866, at the close of the Civil War, the family moved to a farm near Charles City, Iowa.I had the privileg...
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46:26
Black Iowa News - (Dana James)
Conversation with the founder and publisher of Black Iowa News Dana James on her life as a journalist, state of the media, black media and life in general
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52:12
Sioux City Ghosts - (Jim Tillman)
The Sioux City Ghosts were an all-black fast-pitch softball team in Sioux City, Iowa. Their exceptional skills and unique style of playing created a legacy that very few can match. It all started in 1925 as a boy’s club. After class, they wo...
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48:44
JB Morris - (William S. Morris)
James B. Morris Sr. was a World War I veteran, lawyer, journalist, civil rights pioneer, leader, and a role model for his generation of African Americans living in Iowa. He was the owner and publisher of the longtime...
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34:45
Spirit Lake Massacre - (Prof. Kevin Mason)
On March 8, 1857, a conflict erupted between settlers and Native Americans, and Professor Kevin Mason(Waldorf University) gives us a detailed account of what led to the outbreak of violence.Professor Mason researched and wrote extens...
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54:56
19th Century Black Iowans - (Dr. David Brodnax, Sr.) - Part 2
Part 2 of the conversation with history professor, Dr. David Brodnax on black Iowans in the 19th century.
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39:02
19th Century Black Iowans - (Dr. David Brodnax, Sr.) - Part 1
Conversation with history professor, Dr. David Brodnax about black Iowans in the 19th century.
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42:41
Clark Vs Board of School Directors - (Russell Lovell)
In April 1868, Iowa Supreme Court issue a decision to desegregated its public schools. That decision made Iowa the first state in the nation to desegregated its public schools.
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53:06
Black Iowans In Defense of the Nation, 1863-1991 - (William S. Morris)
William Morris stands out as a contributing author within the pages of the renowned Iowan publication, "Outside In: African-American History in Iowa, 1838-2000." His distinctive contribution resonates through Chapter 5 of this work, entitled...
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Season 3
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37:50
Honorable Judge Romonda Belcher
Judge Romonda Belcher was appointed to the bench on August 20, 2010, becoming the first African American female Judge in the state of Iowa. Born in Plymouth, North Carolina, she earned her bachelor’s degree wi...
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Season 3
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44:47
Arabella Mansfield - (Hon. Emily Chafa)
Arabella Mansfield became the first woman lawyer in the United States to be admitted to practice law in Henry County Iowa in 1869. She studied law for two years in her brother's law office in Mount Pleasant Iowa to prepare for the bar...
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Season 3
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40:32
I'm Innocent - (Stephen Keyes)
Stephen Keyes is sitting in Fort Dodge Iowa Correctional Facility serving a life sentence without parole. Steve was sentenced to prison on October 27th, 1997 after being convicted of two counts of first degree murder of his wife Sandra and h...
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Season 3
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38:10
Fort Des Moines - (Jeff Kluever)
Fort Des Moines located in Des Moines Iowa, was the first place in the united states where black men were being trained to be officers in the US Army. Fort Des Moines was also the first place in the United States to train women of all races to ...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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43:38
Rose That Grew From Concrete - (Roxanne Conlin)
Roxanne Conlin is like a rose that bloomed from concrete. As the eldest of six siblings, she endured a traumatic upbringing in a household plagued by violence, where her father's alcoholism led him to inflict both mental and physical...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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48:31
Edna Griffin - (Stanley Griffin Jr.)
More than a decade before the Civil Rights sit-ins of the 1960s and six years prior to Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat, Edna Griffin, a prominent civil rights leader in Iowa, had already made a significant impact. Griffin ...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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43:55
Buxton, Iowa - Black Utopia (Rachelle Chase)
The town of Buxton, IA was seen as a utopia by many Black Americans who migrated to the town to work at the coal miners. Black and white families lived, worked and played together and their children went to the same schools. White residents ...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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53:56
Alexander Clark - (Kent Sissel) - Part 2
In this 2nd episode, My guest Kent Sissel, discuss more about the life, family, and the contribution of Alexander Clark to the state of Iowa and the country. Alexander G. Clark was born on Feb 25. 1826 in Washington County, Penn...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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40:34
Alexander Clark - (Kent Sissel) - Part 1
February 25 is the birthday of Muscatine’s famous residents, probably the most famous Black Iowan of the 19th century.Alexander G. Clark was born on Feb 25. 1826 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, to John Clark, a former slave...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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36:15
Iowa Tuskegee Airman - (Thurman Spriggs)
The Tuskegee Airmen was the first African American flying unit in the U.S. military, who fought during World War II. They were trained at Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama. This was the only training facility for Basic...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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38:00
Life After Racism - (Terry Hansen) - Part 2
When Merry Brown the tattoo artist and the owner of Studio 65 received a call to help a new client to cover his tattoos, Merry didn’t know what to expect. When that client showed up to his appointment and showed Merry what he wanted t...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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37:13
Life After Racism - (Terry Hansen) - Part 1
When Merry Brown the tattoo artist and the owner of Studio 65 received a call to help a new client to cover his tattoos, Merry didn’t know what to expect. When that client showed up to his appointment and showed Merry what he wanted t...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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41:36
From a Slave Catcher, To a Staunch Abolitionist - (James Jordan)
James Jordan's house is located at 2001 Fuller Rd, in West Des Moines Iowa it is one of the Iowa Underground Railroad houses that is still standing and was one of John Brown's freedom trails. The house was built and owned by James Jordan.
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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58:30
The Wrongfully Convicted Man - Ken Nixon(Bonus)
On September 21, 2005, the court asked a 19-yr old Kenneth Nixon if he had anything to say to the court before he was sentenced to life in prison for 2 counts of murder, 4 counts of attempted murder, and 1 count of arson. Ken told the...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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1:05:12
