The African-American Experience at The University of Iowa

December 1988 – January 1989

This exhibition celebrated Black History Month and made use of photographs, yearbooks, archival materials, and other resources found in the University of Iowa Libraries. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the first African-American graduate of the University of Iowa, it may have been Alexander Clark Jr., Law – 1879, who was followed some years later by his father, Alexander Clark Sr., Law – 1884. Distinguished alumni such as Simon Estes, Rita Dove, Philip Hubbard, Lulu Johnson, and Margaret Alexander, to name just a few, are highlighted in the exhibition, along with sections devoted to African-American student life and organizations on campus, and selected African-American faculty and staff. A section on Black Iowa History is also featured.

This exhibition was prepared by Grace Fitzgerald, Mary McInroy, Lucia Marino, and Harlan Sifford.

The Main Library’s North Exhibition Lobby provides a distinctive venue to highlight the Libraries’ collections and provide outreach opportunities to the larger community. Exhibitions focus on topics consistent with the scholarly and cultural concerns of the University and draw them from the holdings of the Libraries, supplemented when appropriate with materials from other sources.