African-American Women Students at The University of Iowa

1946

The University ends its policy barring African American women from the dormitories as Esther Walls, Virginia Harper, Nancy Henry, Gwen Davis, and Leanne Howard desegregate Currier Hall. Some African American students, such as Barbara (Brown) James and Arlene (Roberts) Morris, choose not to live in the dorms, instead continuing their stay at the Federation Home.

Related Resources

Breaux, Richard M. "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 (2002):236-255.

Breaux, Richard M. "Facing Hostility, Finding Housing: African American Students at the University of Iowa, 1920s-1950s." Iowa Heritage Illustrated Spring (2002):14-15

Breaux, Richard Melvin. "Women of 942 Iowa Avenue and Other AA Women at The University of Iowa Before 1947." Unpublished list, 1999.

Dungy, Madgetta Thornton. "African American Graduate School Experiences at The University of Iowa, 1937-1959: an Oral History." Diss. University of Iowa, 1997.