Remembering Susan Clark’s legacy: How a Black Iowan broke barriers in the US
Susan Clark doesn't have a statue or a painted portrait, but in her hometown of Muscatine, there is a school named after her.
"There's not a picture of Susan Clark that anybody knows about," said Dan Clark, of the Alexander Clark Foundation.
Susan Clark was the first Black student in the United States to desegregate a public school by court order.
"Susan Clark became the first African-American student to graduate from high school in the state of Iowa," Diedre DeJear of Back to School Iowa said. "We've got to imagine her being the first was not easy."
Susan Clark was the daughter of Alexander Clark Sr., a prominent Black businessman in Muscatine. He is still known for fighting for equal rights in Iowa schools.
"Iowa had separate but equal until 1868," Dan Clark said.
Dan Clark has no relation to Susan and Alexander Clark. He is a historian and a board member of the Alexander Clark Foundation.
Dan Clark has studied the fight Alexander Clark began in 1867.
"He went to the courthouse and filed a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter," Dan Clark said. "And the local court ruled in their favor."
The school board appealed the decision. It ended up going to the Iowa Supreme Court, which handed down a ruling in 1868.
"You cannot discriminate in any way. Every kid has the same right to public education," Dan Clark said.
In 1868, Susan Clark attended school. She graduated and pursued higher education.
DeJear shared Susan Clark's story in 2022 while she campaigned for governor.
"And so here we are today: Brown vs. Board of Education, a big case that we often talk about related to the desegregation of schools. But it started 86 years before that in our great state," DeJear said. "Sometimes, we live right here in this moment and we take for granted the progress that we get to take advantage of and we don't think about where it came from."
But there are some people, like those in Muscatine, who want to ensure that progress is never forgotten. And for them, it starts with Susan and Alexander Clark.
"This community has a story to be told, and naming the school for Susan Clark will always be telling that story," Dan Clark said.