TopicsPosts Tagged ‘history’
The best witness against Trump? The president of the U.S.
Herb Strentz was dean of the Drake School of Journalism from 1975 to 1988 and professor there until retirement in 2004. He was executive secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council from its founding in 1976 to 2000. A contrast between President Harry Truman and our would-be King Donald Trump is relevant and overdue because of the need to…Read More
“Magical moments”: Iowans reflect on Jesse Jackson’s 1988 campaign
“He had an amazing ability to stay focused on what was important,” John Norris remembered at a March 7 gathering for Iowans who were involved with Reverend Jesse Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign. The group came to the Machinists’ Hall in Des Moines to swap stories before watching a livestream of Jackson’s “Homegoing Celebration of Life” at Rainbow PUSH in Chicago.…Read More
Black Biography as a Blueprint for Resistance
Angela F. Murphy— Biographies of Black activists serve as powerful tools of historical memory, illuminating the lives of individuals whose actions have shaped the course of history. These stories offer lessons for the present, especially in moments when change feels elusive and the obstacles seem insurmountable. They remind us that resistance is found not only in dramatic protest but also…Read More
A Modern History of Muslim Gender
Faisal Devji— In the middle of the nineteenth century, Islam began to lose its meaning as a set of beliefs or practices. Instead of describing something that Muslims did, Islam came to be seen as an actor in its own right. Initially understood as a civilization, and later, in the twentieth century, as an ideology, Islam became a protagonist in…Read More