Iowa Federation Home for Colored Girls | |
![]() 1915 convention cover | |
Location | 942 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, Iowa |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°39′41″N 91°31′16″W / 41.66139°N 91.52111°W |
Area | less than one acre |
NRHP reference No. | 82000412[1] |
Added to NRHP | December 6, 2019 |
The Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs (IFCWC) was an umbrella organization serving African-American women's clubs in Iowa. The motto of IFCWC was "Sowing Seeds of Kindness", and the organization was affiliated with the National Association of Colored Women.[2] The club produced a journal called the Iowa Colored Woman.[3] IFCWC sent delegates to represent the state at national conventions and opportunities such as "Colored Women's day" at the 1939 New York World's Fair.[4] The IFCWC is also known for creating a black women's dormitory for the University of Iowa before the school was fully integrated. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
About
[edit]The IFCWC was created in May 1902[5] and was at first known as the Iowa Association of Colored Women's Clubs.[6] The first convention met in Ottumwa with only a few women and their clubs attending.[7] The first president was Helen Downey.[8] By 1904, there were 300 women attending the annual conference and clubs from all cities large enough to support them sent representatives.[7] By 1914, the IFCWC represented 40 different African-American women's clubs in Iowa.[9] Also in that year, the IFCWC created a committee dedicated to women's suffrage, which was headed by Teresa Adams.[6]
Iowa Federation Home for Colored Girls
[edit]In 1912, it was proposed by the president of IFCWC, Mrs. J.B. Rush, that a home for black working women be established.[10] In 1919, the IFCWC purchased a home, known later as the "Federation Home", at 942 Iowa Avenue in Iowa City.[11] White neighbors protested the sale of a house to African Americans, successfully demanding that the lot's price be reassessed, causing IFCWC to pay more money for their purchase.[12] In 1934, the home was renamed "Sue Brown Hall" after a prominent member of the IFCWC.[13] The home allowed black women who wanted to attend the University of Iowa to have a place to stay, since they were not allowed in the dorms until 1947.[14] The home closed in 1950.[11] The building is protected as a local landmark in Iowa City, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.[15][1]
Notable members
[edit]References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places - Weekly List". National Park Service. December 13, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
- ^ Breaux 2002, p. 238.
- ^ "Afro-American Happenings". The Des Moines Register. 18 January 1910. Retrieved 15 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mason City Woman Elected Leader of Colored Group". The Mason City Globe-Gazette. 29 June 1939. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Colored 'Fed'". The Minneapolis Journal. 26 April 1902. Retrieved 15 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Women's Suffrage in Iowa: An Online Exhibit". Iowa Women's Archives. The University of Iowa Libraries. 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ a b "Honor Mrs. Horace Graves". The Des Moines Register. 3 June 1904. Retrieved 15 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Author". The Pittsburgh Courier. 27 April 1940. Retrieved 15 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Iowa Women's Federation". The Bystander. 29 May 1914. Retrieved 15 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Colored Girls' Home to Be Built". The Des Moines Register. 31 May 1912. Retrieved 15 May 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "African American Women Students at the University of Iowa 1910-1960". The University of Iowa Libraries. 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ Breaux 2002, p. 242.
- ^ Breaux 2002, p. 239.
- ^ Boylan, Peter (18 April 2001). "This Old House: An Isle of Pride, Acceptance". Daily Iowan. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via University of Iowa Libraries.
- ^ Arnold, Madison (21 January 2017). "Two Historic University of Iowa Dorms Receive Civil Rights Grant". The Gazette. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ "Behind the creation of "Toward a Universal Suffrage: African American Women in Iowa and the Vote for All"". Iowa State University. September 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
Sources
[edit]- Breaux, Richard M. (Spring 2002). "'Maintaining a Home for Girls': The Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs at the University of Iowa, 1919-1950". The Journal of African American History. 87: 236–255. doi:10.2307/1562465. JSTOR 1562465. S2CID 144342436.