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Iowa Civil Rights History

Iowa Civil Rights History

Erick Nganyange

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 [email protected]
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Top 10 Iowa Civil Rights History Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Iowa Civil Rights History episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Iowa Civil Rights History for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Iowa Civil Rights History episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Iowa Civil Rights History - Alexander Clark - (Daniel G. Clark)  - Part 1
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11/28/21 • 35 min

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Alexander G. Clark, arguably the most influential black man to ever lived in the state of Iowa in the 19th century. Some historians believe that he was probably the second most influential black man after Frederick Douglass that no one knows about.

Alexander Clark was born in 1826, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, to John Clark a former slave, and Rebecca Darnes Clark. At age 14 Alexander Clark moved from Pennsylvania to go live with his uncle George Darnes in Cincinnati Ohio, where a young Alexander learned barbering skills. In 1842 at age of 16, he left Cincinnati and moved to Muscatine Iowa, where he opened a barbershop and became a prominent barber in Muscatine. Alexander called Muscatine a home for over 40yrs.

In this episode, I sat down with one of the men who studied Alexander G. Clark, Muscatine's Own, Daniel G. Clark to discuss the life, contributions, and accomplishments of Alexander G. Clark to the state of Iowa.

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Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - Police Chief Jeff Brinkley (Policing The Black Man) - Part 2
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04/26/21 • 25 min

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In this episode, Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley touch on George Floyd, the relationship between police and black men in Iowa/America, his idea on how to build trust, and a better relationship between black men and police officers. Discussion on defunding and abolishing police. Discussion on how to unify the country.

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Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - Edna Griffin - (Stanley Griffin Jr.)

Edna Griffin - (Stanley Griffin Jr.)

Iowa Civil Rights History

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02/26/23 • 43 min

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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 important moment in Iowa's civil rights history, demonstrating the power of grassroots activism in effecting change.
In 1948, Edna Griffin and two of her friends were denied service at the Katz drugstore. Griffin sued Katz later that year and won the case. Katz appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court but lost again. This landmark legal victory was a significant moment in the history of civil rights in Iowa, and it helped to pave the way for further advances in the struggle for equality.

In this episode, I sat down with Stanley Griffin Jr, a son of Edna Griffin, to talk about his mother, father, and life growing up as Griffin.

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Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - Rose That Grew From Concrete - (Roxanne Conlin)
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03/28/23 • 48 min

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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.
Book Referenced to this episode: Unstoppable The Nine Lives of Roxanne Barton Conlin
Author: William B. Fredricks

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Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - Honorable Judge Romonda Belcher

Honorable Judge Romonda Belcher

Iowa Civil Rights History

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07/30/23 • 44 min

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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.

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Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - 19th Century Black Iowans - (Dr. David Brodnax, Sr.) - Part 2
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11/26/23 • 39 min

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Part 2 of the conversation with history professor, Dr. David Brodnax on black Iowans in the 19th century.

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For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - 19th Century Black Iowans - (Dr. David Brodnax, Sr.) - Part 1
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10/29/23 • 42 min

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Conversation with history professor, Dr. David Brodnax about black Iowans in the 19th century.

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Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - The Wrongfully Convicted Man - Ken Nixon(Bonus)
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06/26/22 • 65 min

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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 judge and the court “your honor, you are about to sentence an innocent man to prison for the rest of his life for the crime he didn’t commit”.
The judge and the court didn’t take those words seriously, they probably heard them so many times before. Those words will come back to haunt that same judge almost 16yrs later. Because, after Ken spent 15yrs and 9 months behind prison walls, he was released after proving that he was innocent, and was telling the truth all along. Ken was released from prison on February 18th, 2021, and his convictions were vacated.
When Ken came to Iowa to talk to the Midwest innocence project, I got a chance to sit down and talk to him about his journey and what the future looks like.
For more information on Ken’s case please check out law.umich.edu Also, Ken has an organization called “Organization of Exonerees” if you would like to support his movement,
please go to fundly.com

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Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
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Iowa Civil Rights History - African American Museum of Iowa - (LaNisha Cassell)
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02/27/22 • 44 min

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In 1993 James Clark, Johnny Brown, Marvin Steward, Bebe Davis, Thomas Levi Sr, and Thomas Moore from Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids Iowa came up with the idea to start the African - American Museum in the state of Iowa. They wanted to preserve, exhibit and teach black history in the state of Iowa.
Since its inception, the Museum has had 4 executive directors. The current director LaNisha Reese Cassell is number 4 on that list and she is the first and the only woman to hold that position in almost 30yrs of the museum's existence.

In this episode, I had the privilege to talk to LaNisha about the past, present, and future of the museum and the role the museum plays in advancing the civil rights movement.
The African American Museum of Iowa is standing at 55 12th Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Support the show

Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
Follow us on Facebook @ Iowa Civil Rights History Podcast

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Iowa Civil Rights History - Iowa Tuskegee Airman - (Thurman Spriggs)
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10/30/22 • 38 min

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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 them came from the state of Iowa. These 12 men were William V. Bibb, James E. Bowman, Russell L. Collins, Maurice V. Esters, Joseph P. Gomer, Robert L. Martin George R. Miller, Clarence A. Oliphant, Robert M. Parkey, Luther H. Smith, Thurman E. Spriggs, and Robert W. Williams

In this episode, I talked to Bill Spriggs, The son of one of the Iowa Tuskegee airmen, “Thurman Spriggs”. We talked about his father's contribution to the state of Iowa and the nation.

Support the show

Thank you for listening.
For any questions, suggestions, recommendations, or corrections on any historical facts; please contact Host: Erick Nganyange
Email: [email protected]
Follow us on Facebook @ Iowa Civil Rights History Podcast

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FAQ

How many episodes does Iowa Civil Rights History have?

Iowa Civil Rights History currently has 42 episodes available.

What topics does Iowa Civil Rights History cover?

The podcast is about Human Rights, History, Podcasts, Civil Rights and Education.

What is the most popular episode on Iowa Civil Rights History?

The episode title 'Iowa Tuskegee Airman - (Thurman Spriggs)' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Iowa Civil Rights History?

The average episode length on Iowa Civil Rights History is 40 minutes.

How often are episodes of Iowa Civil Rights History released?

Episodes of Iowa Civil Rights History are typically released every 28 days, 18 hours.

When was the first episode of Iowa Civil Rights History?

The first episode of Iowa Civil Rights History was released on Dec 26, 2020.

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