250 to 250: 74. 1868 Iowa School Desegregation, Narrated by Connie Ryan

 

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: 1868 Iowa School Desegregation, Narrated by Connie Ryan

Connie Ryan has served as Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa since 2002. With her leadership, the organization challenges religious extremism, defends democracy, protects religious freedom, and safeguards the rights of all Iowans. Connie is a registered lobbyist at the Iowa Legislature whose advocacy focuses on civil rights, religious liberty, strong public schools, and judicial independence. Ryan tells how 12-year-old Susan Clark integrated an Iowa school in 1868, winning a desegregation case decades before Brown v. Board of Education.

In the 1800s, many U.S. schools separated Black and white children.

• Susan Clark was a 12-year-old Black student in Muscatine, Iowa.
• She wanted to attend a school for white children.
• The school did not allow Susan to attend because she was Black.
• Her father, Alexander Clark, went to court to fight this rule.

In 1868, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in favor of Susan and her father.

• Justice Chester Cole said that separating students by race was against the Iowa Constitution.
• The Iowa Constitution promised “equal rights to all.”
• Susan was allowed to attend the previously all-white school.
• This happened 86 years before the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.
• The Clark family helped advance equal education for Black children.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 7: Where have you attended school full time or part time for the past 5 years?
• USCIS 100:02. What does the Constitution do?
• USCIS 128:10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
• USCIS 100:37. / 128:51 What does the judicial branch do?

Family Fun

• African American Museum of Iowa: Susan Clark
• Bleeding Heartland: No picture of Susan? | What became of Susie Clark?
• Drake Law: Clark Decision: Celebrating 150 Years of Iowa School Desegregation: Welcome
• Notes on Iowa: The Case of Susan Clark
• Stanley Center: Susie Clark: The Bravest Girl You’ve Ever Seen | Educator Guide
• Teaching Iowa History: Susan Clark
• Urban Faith: Who was the first black child to go to an integrated school?
• uscitizenpod: Iowa State Quarter coloring page