The term "soul food" did not become common until the 1960s, with the rise of the civil rights and black nationalist movements, but foods like collard greens, black-eyed peas, corn bread, and fried chicken have been a part of the African American culinary legacy for centuries. Dr. Sharp will share her research on the culinary […]
In 1839 the first territorial government of Iowa past a series of laws that denied black residents citizenship rights like the right to vote, testify in court, act as jurors, or participate in the state militia. In addition to these restrictions, the legislature passed “An Act to Regulate Blacks and Mulattoes.” The act was intended […]
“Searching for Freedom: African American Migration in Iowa, 1830-1900” will explore the history of black movement to and around Iowa during the 1800s, beginning with the arrival of the first African Americans in the 1830s and ending with the creation of one of Iowa’s only black majority communities at the turn of the century. We will […]
Please note that this event has been canceled. Any plans to reschedule will be announced on our website and social media. This Humanities Iowa presentation will connect the the economic, social, and political issues explored in Driven By Hope to the lives of modern migrants to Iowa. Professor Stella Burch Elias of the University of […]
This year marks the 154th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and the complete emancipation of U.S. slaves. At emancipation, black men in American had little human capital or personal property, and almost all lived in the relatively poor, agrarian, former states of the Confederacy. And although their position is much improved relative […]
In this talk, Professor Simon Balto (University of Iowa) will talk about his recent book on policing and race in Chicago, between 1919 and the early 1970s. His talk will offer better historical context for understanding modern movements like Black Lives Matter, and will also serve as an opportunity to reflect upon the 100-year anniversary […]
During and after the Civil War, thousands of newly liberated African Americans left the South and migrated to Iowa and other Midwestern places. Many of those migrants had experienced both enslavement and military service with the Union Army. This presentation will share the inspiring personal stories of African American Civil War veterans who settled in […]
Rescheduled from May 23, this event is now taking place on August 8. As countless writers and scholars have chronicled, black migration transformed the culture, politics, and social life of the United States in the mid-twentieth century, when the sons and daughters of Mississippi and Alabama and Georgia and North Carolina set off for new […]
