The Iowa Files: Susan Clark & the End of Segregated School in Iowa

Program Type:

Program, Performer

Age Group:

Adults
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Event Details

Susan Clark, an 11-year old from Muscatine, was the plaintiff in the case that led to the end of segregated schools in Iowa in 1868, 86 years before Brown v. Board of Education. Even after the Clark case some towns including Des Moines maintained separate schools for African-Americans into the 1870s.

State curator Leo Landis of the State Historical Society of Iowa will review the history of segregated schools in Iowa from the 1850s to the 1870s. The program will discuss Susan Clark, her father Alexander, and Iowa’s history of offering equal access to K-12 education.

Free and open to the public thanks to the support of West Des Moines Historical Society Members, the West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation and the Iowa Arts Council.

The WDM Historical Society presents an Iowa history series at the WDM Public Library.  Ages 18 & up. No registration.

Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

January 19, 2020:
Susan Clark & the End of Segregated School in Iowa
Presenter: Leo Landis

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