Category: Black History - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

"I Am the Future" Black History Video - After Action Report

5/17/2022

Civil Rights Black History Video - After Action Report

On Sunday, May 1st the video I Am the Future - Standing on the Shoulders of the Past was viewed at Friends of MLK Interpretive Center in Davenport, Iowa. Four of the interviewees were present to watch the video with the PACG members who worked on the project: Dr. Henry Brockington, Bill Gluba, Catherine Alexander, and AbdurRahmaam "Abdur" Howard. You can read more about I Am the Future in our blog post.

After the video we had a lively Question and Answer discussion. There were many questions for our interviewees from the people that attended the viewing. We had very positive feedback about the video. We plan to show the it at the Davenport NAACP Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 18th. There will be another showing of the video to PACG donors soon. In the meantime, you may view it on the PACG YouTube Channel: I Am the Future - Standing on the Shoulders of the Past here.

Glenda Guster

Local Black History - No Hate In Our States

3/1/2022

A glimpse into our local Black history

As he turns 88, LySanias A. Broyles looks back on the history of his life and involvement in Civil Rights efforts in Davenport (photo by Gary Krambeck)

No Hate In Our States

From the Quad City Times:

As he turns 88, a Black barber from Davenport remembers his history, and fears for Black history in Iowa classrooms...And he talked about Black History in a time when lawmakers across Iowa and throughout the country seek to remove uncomfortable subject matter from classrooms.

Read the article here.

Julie Ross

I Am the Future: Standing On the Shoulders of the Past - PACG Event

2/14/2022

"I Am The Future" - Standing On the Shoulders of the Past
A PACG Black History Month Project

As her PACG presidency begin in January, Glenda Guster decided that she wanted to interview acquaintances of hers who had important social justice experiences in the mid-20th century. So, PACG did what it often does - we established a committee to work on this idea!

It was decided that our goals for this project included

preserving local Black history
educating our communities, and
inspiring our membership in activism.

With this in mind, we approached four of Glenda's friends and asked if we could interview them about their experiences.

The following individuals agreed to speak to us about their experiences. These are short bios that help explain who they are:

Rev. Gabriel Barber III
Gabriel Barber was born in Clarksville, Missouri and came to the Quad Cities as a young man.

A World War II veteran, he was a US Army truck driver late in the war, eventually ending up in Bremerhaven, Germany. He remembers the winter weather being so cold the drivers could never turn off the motors of the trucks, and he still laughs about the challenges that presented.

Reverend Barber worked for International Harvester at the Farmall Plant in Rock Island for 30 years. He was the pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Davenport for 46 years. An active member of the Rock Island County Nursing Home Board, he ran a health care center and nursing home.

He was the first Black person to serve on the Rock Island County Board of Supervisors, and he served for 30 years. He is also proud to have been a longtime precinct captain of Scott County Democrats, as well as township chair and a member for 25 years.

The Gabe and Lee Barber Park in Rock Island was dedicated to Rev. Barber and his wife, Lee, in 2007.

Rev. Barber spent his life working to ensure that people of color have equal rights and educational opportunities, and he used his political and religious platforms to accomplish these things.

Mayor Bill Gluba
Bill Gluba was born in Davenport, Iowa. As a student at St. Ambrose University in the 1960s, he was active in the Young Democrats of America (YDA), the youth wing of the Democratic Party. His participation in YDA led him to attend the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 along with five other young white men.

He received a bachelor's degree in political science from St. Ambrose and a master's degree in political science from the University of Iowa.

He served on the Scott County, Iowa, Board of Supervisors as well as in the Iowa State House and Senate as a Democrat. He has unsuccessfully run for Congress in Iowa's 1st Congressional District three times, and he served as mayor of Davenport from 2008 to 2015.

Dr. Henry Brockington
Henry Brockington, the youngest of five siblings, was born in Florence, South Carolina, and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a masters in physiology from Catholic University, Washington, DC. He obtained a doctor of chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic while teaching as a full-time faculty member. He was honored by being named the commencement speaker at his Palmer graduation.

He retired from Palmer College of Chiropractic after teaching there for 33 years. Dr. Brockington is proud to have been an educator for 40 years.

He explains: “There are two events that I participated in that I will never forget – the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, and the First Inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009. Additionally, the smile on my mother’s face when I graduated from Howard University is another moment that made me very proud. She was my inspiration for as long as I can remember.”

“My philosophy involves a few things,” he says. “Pay it forward. Don’t see injustice and just close your eyes. Treat everyone as a friend until they show you otherwise. Don’t dismiss a person by anything other than their actions.”

Dr. Brockington has received numerous awards for teaching. He also received the President’s Award two times from the NAACP. A member of Scott County Democrats for 25 years, he has served as chair for every committee of the NAACP. He is currently the treasurer for the Quad City Minority Partnership.

Attorney Catherine (Kitty) Alexander
As an undergraduate student at Grinnell College in Iowa, Ms. Alexander and six other young white women went to an event in the Amana Colonies where they heard Dr. Martin Luther King speak. This encounter with Dr. King was a life-changing experience.

Ms. Alexander received her masters at Rosary College and her JD at the University of Iowa. She was an assistant city attorney for the City of Davenport and served on the Iowa Supreme Court Commission on Unauthorized Practice of Law. Her employment history includes being an apprentice labor arbitrator and a visiting lecturer for the University of Iowa, as well as working with the Iowa Women’s Political Caucus, Scott County Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of Iowa.

AbdurRahmaan Howard, Moderator
AbdurRahmaan "Abdur" Howard is a 14-year-old 9th grade student at Davenport North High school, where he is in the dual enrollment program. This will allow him to earn an associate degree from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges while attending high school.

Abdur has a love for the arts, classical music and social justice. The bulk of his time is spent in the musical arena, either at the Adler Theater, attending the symphony; at the Second Baptist Church Music & Arts Academy; or with the Quad City Youth Symphony, where he is a violinist with the String Ensemble. In his spare time Abdur does spoken word poetry at local venues.

Abdur continues to further his education. He has a multitude of career interests, with the medical field at the top of his list.

In June of 2021, Abdur was selected to be a moderator for the PACG “Race, Adolescence and Trauma” webinar, featuring Professor Kristin Henning. His demonstrated maturity and quick mind made him our choice to moderate our Black History Month project this year.

We hired Mickle Communications to videotape the interviews at the MLK Interpretive Center in Davenport. The Putnam Museum has expressed interest in showing our video as part of their Black History Month programming. We hope to be able to announce that this will be available on Sunday, February 27th.

Our project title came from a phrase that Glenda's church often uses when speaking of their children: "I'm the future." (This phrase is from the Whiney Houston song The Greatest Love Of All.)

As young men and women in the 1960s and beyond, Gabe, Bill, Henry and Kitty would have thought of themselves as the future. We are grateful to them in so many ways. As Glenda says, "I am benefiting now from these past acts of courage and sacrifice. I made sure my children knew this, and my grandchildren know now they are standing on bent down backs that were not broken by racism."

PACG Webmaster

Project moderator AbdurRahmaan Howard in front of the mural at the Friends of Martin Luther King Interpretive Center in Davenport, Iowa

Celebrate at the Juneteenth Festival! - Community Event

5/28/2021

Quad City Juneteenth Festival
Saturday, June 19th from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

the Lincoln Center - TMBC (Together Making a Better Community)
318 E 7th St
Davenport, IA (map)

Davenport NAACP

The Friends of MLK (FoMLK) are proud host the Quad City Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at the Lincoln Center - TMBC located at 318 E. 7th St., Davenport, IA. from 11 am – 6 pm. We are looking to make this year’s event larger than ever and you can help make that happen. With food and retail vendors, history and information booths, fun-filled games and entertainment for the whole family, this is sure to be an event you will not want to miss.

Who We Are
The Friends of MLK is a non-profit corporation organized exclusively to empower and encourage the Quad City area to practice the civil and human rights for all races, colors, and creeds as exemplified by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends of MLK's Juneteenth Mission

Educate and promote the historical significance of the Juneteenth holiday in America Commemorate the end of slavery in America
Educate people on the history of African-Americans
Highlight the economic, political, and social efforts of African-Americans to fully participate in the American culture following slavery and
Reach out to all in a mutual celebration of freedom.

The History of Juneteenth
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union Soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation-which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on Texas due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger's regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance. Later, attempts to explain this two-and-a-half-year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. All or none of the stories could be true. For whatever the reason, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

A range of activities provided entertainment to the masses, many of which continue in tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing, and baseball, are just a few of the typical Juneteenth activities you may witness today. Juneteenth usually focused on self-improvement, education, a historic recount the events of the past and prayer services as a major part of the celebrations.

Certain foods became popular and subsequently synonymous with the celebration, such as strawberry soda-pop. More traditional and just as popular was the barbecuing. This was through which participants could share in the spirit and aromas that their ancestors would have enjoyed during the ceremonies. Hence, the barbecue pit is often established as the center of attention at Juneteenth celebrations. Dress was also an important element in early Juneteenth customs, and is often taken seriously, particularly by the direct descendants who can make the connection to this tradition's roots.

In some cases in the early years, there was an outright resistance, and people would bar the use of public property for the festivities. Most of the festivities found themselves out in rural areas around rivers and creeks that would provide for additional activities such as fishing, horseback riding, and barbecues. Often, the church grounds were the sites for the festivities.

On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official holiday in Texas, through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition.

Today forty-seven states have joined Texas in making Juneteenth an official holiday observance, and a movement is in place to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday. Thursday, April 11, 2002, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (D-IA) signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a state holiday in Iowa. Tuesday, August 19, 2003, Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a state holiday. However, in Illinois through a friendly amendment, the third Saturday in June of each year is designated as Juneteenth National Freedom Day. The holiday will forever be known as Juneteenth National Freedom Day.

Juneteenth symbolizes the end of slavery, and symbolizes for many African-Americans, what the Fourth of July symbolizes for all Americans. For Americans that is freedom. While blacks celebrate the Fourth of July in honor of American Independence Day, history reminds us that blacks were still enslaved when the United States gained its independence.

Passed legislation allows Juneteenth National Freedom Day to be observed with suitable observances and exercises by civic groups and the public, while citizens of the States recognizing the holiday are urged to reflect on the suffering endured by early African-Americans and to celebrate the unique freedom and equality enjoyed by all US citizens today.

Juneteenth in Iowa
Iowa was the seventh state to officially recognize Juneteenth. The Iowa Juneteenth Observance encompasses a statewide scope of programming that spans an eight-day period and focuses on education and entertainment activities related to freedom, liberty, and responsible citizenship. Activities feature family fun and economic/political/and social development. An example of activities include the King & Queen Coronation, Miss Iowa Juneteenth Contest, Baby Contest, Education Forum (and Mary McLeod Bethune Award), Health Forum (and Dr. James Dirham Award), Proclamation Day (and Liberty Awards), Community Banquet (and Community Citizen of the Year Award), Parade, and Neighbors Day Finale. The Iowa Juneteenth Observance has been operating since 1990.

For more information contact Mike Guster by clicking the link on his name.

Mike Guster

Black History Month Origins Podcast - No Hate In Our States

3/2/2021

Black History Month Has Ended - Our Learning Continues

No Hate In Our States

This inaugural podcast on the Future of Black History Month series asks how it began and what it can be. Producer Veralyn Williams leads a lively conversation about her annual Black History Month parties - before COVID-19 social distancing was imposed - with some friends of the show.

Then, Dr. Pero Dagbovie, a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of History and an Associate Dean in the Graduate School at Michigan State University, introduces us to Dr. Carter G. Woodson - often called the “Father of Black History” - before explaining how a week-long celebration of Black Achievement at the turn of the 20th century evolved into the month-long observance that we know today.

Listen here: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-united-states/the-origin-story-of-black-NyV6rKOk94b/

Julie Ross

No Hate In Our States - 28 Days of Black History

2/16/2021

28 Days of Black History
February 1st through 28th

28 Days of Black History

Each day in February, www.28daysofblackhistory.com highlights works (art, books, plays, songs, etc) that honor the triumphs, challenges and tribulations of the Black experience. This project was co-curated by Camille Bethune-Brown and Shanaé Burch and made financially possible by your contributions.

Each day includes a different selection, its historical context, and questions for individual reflection and group discussion.

Subscribe here: www.28daysofblackhistory.com

Follow the link below to see archives of each day’s highlight:

www.28daysofblackhistory.com/archive

Julie Ross

PACG Book Club for August and September 2020

7/26/2020

PACG Book Club for August and September 2020

Monday, August 17th at 5:30 pm via Zoom: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

This is an important book for those concerned about racial equality to read and discuss. If you don't have time to read the book and join our discussion, we suggest you listen to the interview with the author described below.

In an 8 minute interview, NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with author Richard Rothstein about his new book, The Color of Law, which details how federal housing policies in the 1940s and '50s mandated segregation and undermined the ability of black families to own homes and build wealth.

Note: We will skip the October Book Club discussion. We want to choose a book for November at our October discussion. Please come with suggestions!

Monday, September 21st at 5:30 pm via Zoom: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe was published in 1958. Considered his masterpiece, it is the most widely read novel in modern African literature.

Quoting from a teaching guide at Penguin Random House:

"Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a "strong man" of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first story traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives. It provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo’s world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries.

These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing the life of nature, history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. Things Fall Apart is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within."

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Click on my name here Alta Price for a link to the Zoom meeting. Please tell me whether it is the August or September discussion that you want to attend so I send you the correct link.

Alta Price

No Hate In Our States - Listen to "1619" Podcast

7/9/2020

Learn more about Black History - "1619" Podcast

Civil Rights Forum

Podcasts are available for free via a variety of apps. “1619,” which was created by the New York Times, is an engaging and informative series that traces the history and lasting effects that slavery has had on our Black population. Podcasts are great, because you can listen while in the car, making supper, sewing masks or doing other activities.

Black history - "1619" Podcast

Julie Ross

Learn About Black History Online - No Hate In Our States

7/1/2020

Learn More About Black History - View Online

Civil Rights Forum

Here are two fine programs streaming for free that will give insight into Black history in our country.

I recommend you watch them in this order:

Finding Your Roots on PBS, Season 1, episode 2: Gives the fascinating history of two prominent African American politicians, Cory Booker and John Lewis. NOTE: this is streaming on Amazon ONLY through June 30th.

After you learn about John Lewis’s roots, you will want to watch Selma, which is streaming for free on Amazon Prime.

Both of these movies provide excellent information and are great springboards for family discussion.

Julie Ross

Watch "13th" - No Hate In Our States

6/23/2020

**Watch the Documentary 13th - Streaming On Netflix**

No Hate In Our States

Netflix and Amazon Prime are streaming many excellent movies and documentaries which give insight into the history of racism in our country and why the Black Lives Matter movement is something we must all understand and support.

13th is an excellent documentary for gaining understanding into the oppression and racism that plague our country. Watch 13th for free on YouTube: https://youtu.be/krfcq5pF8u8

Keep an eye on the PACG Facebook page for more film suggestions.

Julie Ross