Edna Griffin

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Edna May Griffin
Born1909
DiedFebruary 8, 2000
EducationFisk University
Occupation(s)Civil Rights Activist, Teacher
Known forKatz Drug Store
SpouseStanley Griffin
ChildrenPhyllis, Linda and Stanley

Edna May Griffin (1909 – February 8, 2000) was an American

State of Iowa v. Katz, foreshadowed the civil rights movement and became a landmark case before the Iowa Supreme Court.[1]

Life

Edna Mae Williams was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1909, was raised in rural New Hampshire and later Massachusetts following her father's career as a dairy farm supervisor.[2] Griffin claimed she learned to read with access to The Crisis, a publication of the NAACP. In 1933, Edna received a degree in English from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, preparing her for a career as a school teacher.[3] While at Fisk University, she protested against Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia as well as met her future husband, Stanley Griffin. Edna and her husband moved to Des Moines, Iowa, on January 2, 1947, as Stanley was accepted as a student at Still College of Osteopathy and Surgery.[4] During World War II she served in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps at Fort Des Moines.[5] Later, Edna and Stanley had three children: Phyllis, Linda and Stanley.[3]

Civil Rights

Edna Griffin claims she did not experience discrimination growing up in New Hampshire but did later while living in Massachusetts.[3] When she arrived in Des Moines, Griffin got involved with the Iowa Progressive Party and supported Henry Wallace in the presidential race.[4]

Katz Drug Store

On July 7, 1948, Edna Griffin, John Bibbs, Leonard Hudson and Griffin’s one-year-old daughter, Phyllis, were refused service at Katz Drug Store in downtown Des Moines because of racial discrimination. A waitress took their order for ice cream but after she was told not to serve them, she reported that they don’t serve colored people. Requesting to talk to the manager only confirmed the denial of service at that establishment.[6]

Griffin launched a campaign to force Katz to serve African Americans by leading

State of Iowa v. Katz, it became illegal to deny service based on race.[7]

Later work

Griffin continued to be an active participant in the civil rights movement throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She founded the Des Moines chapter of the

nuclear warheads from being shipped into the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base. Through the years, Griffin was a contributor to The Bystander, a local African American owned and operated newspaper.[3]

Legacy

Edna Griffin died on February 8, 2000.

Mary Louise Smith Award as well as inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame (1985) and the Iowa African American Hall of Fame (1998).[3]

The work of Griffin is also recognized throughout the community of Des Moines. On the 50th anniversary of her successful

pedestrian bridge in downtown Des Moines was named after her.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Iowa Commission on the Status of Women". iowa.gov. Archived from the original on 2010-11-10. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  2. ^ Lowe, Jessica. "Edna Griffin: Civil Rights movement pioneer. Des Moines woman became known as the 'Rosa Parks of Iowa.'". Iowa History Journal. Iowa Publishing Corp. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Historic Auto Trails - Edna M. Griffin Memorial Bridge". Iowa Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 2014-04-17. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  4. ^ a b c d "Griffin, Edna Mae Williams – The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa -The University of Iowa". uiowa.edu.
  5. ^ Swalwell, Katy. "The Myth-Busting History of Edna Griffin". Civil Rights Teaching. Teaching for Change. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  6. ^ "The Des Moines Register - DesMoinesRegister.com". Des Moines Register.
  7. ^ a b "The Des Moines Register - DesMoinesRegister.com". Des Moines Register.

External links