Iowas Black Legacy PDF Download

Life Narratives of African Americans in Iowa speaks of life in Iowa from the nineteenth century to the present day. The voices in these pages range from factory workers to doctors, politicians to lawyers. Each individual shares interesting insights into what it was like for African Americans in the state. Racism was prevalent, with each person encountering it in some form, but despite these challenges, those profiled here made a significant contribution to society. Willie Stevenson Glanton recalls her time spent as the first African American woman in the Iowa Legislature. George Boykin remembers the early days at the Sanford Center in Sioux City. Although a physician, Percy Harris tells about the problems of finding a place to live in Cedar Rapids. Bernice Jones recalls challenging the status quota as a federal government worker in the Quad Cities. The participants in this oral history ranged in age from late 50s to early 90s at the time of their interviews.