The person I would like to highlight today is Alexander Clarke.Mr. Clark first advocated for the right to vote and other civil rights at a rally at Camp McClellan on Oct. 31, 1865 attended by 700 members of the 60th US Colored Infantry Regiment..  Mr. Clarke was elected to preside over the meeting and told his audience "[W]e have discharged our duty as soldiers in the defense of our country, [and] respectfully urge that it is the duty of Iowa to allow us the use of our votes at the polls ... [H]e who is worthy to be trusted with the musket can and ought to be trusted with the ballot."^[8] . Clark is notable for suing in 1867 to gain admission for his daughter to attend a local public school in Muscatine, Iowa. The case achieved a constitutional ruling for integration from the Iowa state supreme court in 1868, 86 years before the United States Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education (1954)  He later earned a law degree and became co-owner and editor of The Conservator in Chicago.  Among many other accomplishments, Mr. Clarke went on to become the United States Ambassador to Liberia.  He was a gifted speaker and was nicknamed the "Colored Orator Of The West".  He also was an accomplished businessman and earned a law degree.  And, he was instrumental in gaining a constitutional amendment that gave African Americans the right to vote in Iowa in 1868.  Mr. Clarke's entire adult life was spent in advocacy and advancement for his people.He helped recruit men for the 60th US Colored Infantry Regiment.  Mr. Clarke knew Frederick Douglass and was the Iowa Agent for Mr. Douglass' newspaper The North Star.  These are just a few of the accomplishments of this incredible, talented man, and I am proud to say that Davenport had a role in his advocacy.

Sources:  Wikipedia - Alexander Clarke
 

In honor of African American History month, and in support of the Friends of the MLK Interpretive Center’s efforts to preserve local African American history, the Civil Rights Forum of Progressive Action for the Common Good is holding a fund drive. Our goal is to raise $2,200 to donate to the Friends of the MLK Interpretive Center to purchase a large interactive screen (one of seven needed) to share this history with the public. For more about the MLK Interpretive Center, with a picture of the kiosks that will hold the display screens, go to this PACG Blog post.