Iowa Civil Rights History

Send us Fan Mail George Roddy the first known black golfer in the state of Iowa. Born in 1908 in Keokuk, Iowa. Roddy famously walked from Keokuk to Iowa City to attend the University of Iowa because his family couldn't afford bus fare. He became the first Black golfer on the Iowa Hawkeyes team and was a team captain in 1930 and 1931. He graduated in 1931 with an engineering degree.  He became...

Send us Fan Mail 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 and later bought another 80 acres. My conversation with Todd Western III about his family history. Thank you for listening. For any questions, suggestions, r...

Send us Fan Mail 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, the family moved to a farm near Charles City, Iowa. I had the privilege of sitting down with Karen Kedrowski, the director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and...

Send us Fan Mail 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 privilege of sitting down with Karen Kedrowski, the director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, to discuss Catt's life and her signif...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Thank you for listening. For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact  Host: Erick Nganyange  Email:  iacivilrightshistorypodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook @ Iowa...

Send us Fan Mail 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 would gather near the former Hopkins school along West 7th and Panoah Street in Sioux City. Jim Tillman, Sioux City native and resident, has bee...

Send us Fan Mail   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 nation’s first black newspaper the Bystander.  In this episode, I have JB Morris's grandson William Morris talking about his grandfather, his family, and bla...

Send us Fan Mail 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 extensively on this topic. He is an Assistant Professor of History at Waldorf University. He teaches various courses at all undergraduate levels, oversees...

Send us Fan Mail Part 2 of the conversation with history professor, Dr. David Brodnax on black Iowans in the 19th century.  Thank you for listening. For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact  Host: Erick Nganyange  Email:  iacivilrightshistorypodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook @ Iowa Civil Rights History Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Conversation with history professor, Dr. David Brodnax about  black Iowans in the 19th century.  Thank you for listening. For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact  Host: Erick Nganyange  Email:  iacivilrightshistorypodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook @ Iowa Civil Rights History Podcast

Send us Fan Mail 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. Thank you for listening. For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact  Host: Erick Nganyange  Email:  iacivilrightshistorypodcast@gmail.com Follow...

Send us Fan Mail 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 "Black Iowans in Defense of the Nation: 1863 to 1991." Generously, William engaged in a conversation with me, shedding li...

Send us Fan Mail 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 with honors from Howard University in 1990 and her juris doctorate from Drake University Law School in 1995. Thank you for listening. For any questions, suggestions, recommenda...

Send us Fan Mail 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 exam.  Despite her admission to the bar, she never practice law instead she spent her professional life teaching. She was a professor of Englis...

Send us Fan Mail 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 his 2yr old son Josh, the two died as the result of the tragic house fire that happened on December 26, in 1996. His legal team -  The Iowa Wro...

Send us Fan Mail 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 be in the military. I travelled to Des Moines to have a conversation with a Des Moines native Jeff Kluever who is a board member of the now...

Send us Fan Mail 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 abuse on her mother and children. Nevertheless, Roxanne persevered and rose to become a prominent and influential civil rights attorney in Iowa....

Send us Fan Mail 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 compelled the notorious Katz drug store in Des Moines, Iowa, to halt its discriminatory practices toward Black customers. This event marked an impor...

Send us Fan Mail 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 included immigrants from Sweden and elsewhere, and they existed peacefully with the African-Americans throughout the community’s history. Buxt...

Send us Fan Mail 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, Pennsylvania, to John Clark, a former slave, and Rebecca Darnes Clark. He was a barber, lawyer, diplomat, and activist. Thank you for listening. For any quest...

Send us Fan Mail 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, and Rebecca Darnes Clark. He was a barber, lawyer, diplomat, and activist. In the late 70s, Kent Sissel bought Clark’s home in Muscatine Iowa in order to...

Send us Fan Mail 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 and Advanced Flight Training for Black pilots of the U.S. Army Air Force. Out of the 1,000 black pilots who were trained at Tuskegee Army airfield, 12 of...

Send us Fan Mail 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 to be covered, Merry had mixed feelings; shocked and happy about the fact that this new client wanted to cover his tattoos. Terry is a former member o...

Send us Fan Mail 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 to be covered, Merry had mixed feelings; shocked and happy about the fact that this new client wanted to cover his tattoos. Terry is a former member o...

Send us Fan Mail 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. James Jordan was a Complicated man like most men of his time. He was born in  West Virginia in 1813 and moved to Iowa in 1845,  he was...