Thank you Pat for sharing the story of Anna Mae Weems. Contrary to today’s rollbacks, she was a leader who acted on a vision. Our paths had briefly crossed when I was director of the iowa Civil Rights Commission from 2014-2011. I hope you write more about her courage and dignity. By the way, in recent years, we have lost many icons in Iowa’s civil rights history, including my dear friend Walter Reed from Waterloo. Your writing will help keep her vision, message and spirt alive.
Thanks Ralph. Walt was great. Ruth Anderson was another. Russ and Joy Lowe. Betty Jean Furgerson, who served on the Iowa Board of Regents. Most recently, Leon Mosley, the first Black to head a major political party in Iowa. Too many to mention. We have a local Black history exhibit at the Grout Museum where I work, created cooperation with the local NAACP and featured on Iowa Public Radio. One of the things we did was significantly expand the number of Black oral histories we have - including Anna Mae. Your point about so many of these people passing underscores the need for them to tell their stories for posterity while they are still with us.
Thank you Pat for sharing the story of Anna Mae Weems. Contrary to today’s rollbacks, she was a leader who acted on a vision. Our paths had briefly crossed when I was director of the iowa Civil Rights Commission from 2014-2011. I hope you write more about her courage and dignity. By the way, in recent years, we have lost many icons in Iowa’s civil rights history, including my dear friend Walter Reed from Waterloo. Your writing will help keep her vision, message and spirt alive.
Thanks Ralph. Walt was great. Ruth Anderson was another. Russ and Joy Lowe. Betty Jean Furgerson, who served on the Iowa Board of Regents. Most recently, Leon Mosley, the first Black to head a major political party in Iowa. Too many to mention. We have a local Black history exhibit at the Grout Museum where I work, created cooperation with the local NAACP and featured on Iowa Public Radio. One of the things we did was significantly expand the number of Black oral histories we have - including Anna Mae. Your point about so many of these people passing underscores the need for them to tell their stories for posterity while they are still with us.