Iowa Is The Second Worst For Blacks? Part Two

Concerning the post Iowa Is The Second Worst For Blacks? earlier today, a regular visitor writes:

Don't forget the pioneering protests and boycotts of the Katz Drug Store for refusing to serve blacks in the 40's. The building that housed the drug store has been named for Edna Griffin, who was refused when she tried to buy an ice cream cone.

Here's the Register's "Famous Iowans" piece on Edna Griffin.

We also did some additional research concerning Iowa's historical attitude toward blacks and here's what we found at the Iowa Civil Rights Commission web site:

1839 - Iowa Territorial Supreme Court rules that former slave who contracted for his freedom but was unable to pay the contract price was a free man in Iowa. In Re Ralph, A Black Man.

1868 - Iowa Supreme Court rules that segregated schools are illegal. Clark v. The Board of Directors.

1873 - Iowa Supreme Court rules that African-Americans are entitled to equal treatment in public accommodations. Coger v. The North West Union Packet Co.

1875 - The Iowa Supreme Court rules that schools cannot deny admittance to African-Americans. Smith v. The Directors of the Ind. Sch. Dist. of Keokuk and Dove v. The Ind. Sch. Dist. of Keokuk.

1880 - Iowa Constitution amended to allow African American men to serve in the Iowa General Assembly.

1884 - Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1884 prohibits discrimination in public accommodations.

1885 - Iowa Supreme Court rules that it is legal for a skating rink to deny admittance to African Americans. Bowlin v. Lyon.

1905 - Iowa Supreme Court rules that it is illegal for an eating house to deny service to an African-American juror. Humburd v. Crawford.

1943 - Earl Vroman, manager at the Katz store, is acquitted of charges of refusing to serve African-Americans under the 1884 Iowa civil rights law.

1944 - Maurice Katz, store manager, is acquitted on charges of refusing to serve African-Americans.

1947 - Two other Katz employees are acquitted.

1948 - July 7 - Edna Griffin, Phyllis Griffin, John Bibbs, and Leonard Hudson are denied service at Katz Drug Store.

1948 - July 10 - Criminal charges are filed against Maurice Katz.

1948 - October 6 - Maurice Katz is convicted.

1948 - November 23 - Katz' motion for new trial denied and he is fined $50. Katz appeals to the Iowa Supreme Court.

1949 - October 14 - Griffin's civil case goes to trial and she wins $1.00. Iowa Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the criminal case, State v. Katz.

1949 - November - Katz denies service to Edna Griffin, John Bibbs, Arthur Bryant, Barbara Williams, Kenneth Walker, Leonard Hudson, and Gordon Jasper, who file civil lawsuits.

1949 - December 2 - Katz settles lawsuits for $1,000, and promises to end discriminatory practices.

1949 - December 13 - Iowa Supreme Court upholds the conviction in State v. Katz.

From just Googling around, it looks like the Katz Drug Store chain had a company-wide policy rather than it being a Des Moines or an Iowa thing. There were protests at Katz Drug Store lunch counters up until the late 1950s in places like Oklahoma City.

Iowa judges over the past 166 years have done a pretty good job at making the state more comfortable for blacks.

Whatever. "Black Communicator" magazine doesn't care about all that. All they do is look at the percentage of black prisoners, compare it to the "white" population, and proclaim Iowa a bad state. Screw you, Black Communicator magazine. And KWWL-TV, you should know better.