Between the 1930s and 1960s; the University of Iowa sought to assert its modernity; cosmopolitanism; and progressivism through an increased emphasis on the fine and performing arts and athletics. This enhancement coincided with a period when an increasing number of African American students arrived at the university; from both within and outside of the state; seeking to take advantage of its relatively liberal racial relations and rising artistic prestige. The presence of accomplished African American students performing in musical concerts; participating in visual art exhibitions; acting on stage; publishing literature; and competing on sports fields forced white students; instructors; and administrators to confront their undeniable intellect and talent. Unlike the work completed in traditional academic units; these students’ contributions to the university community were highly visible and burst beyond the walls of their individual units and primary spheres of experience to reach a much larger audience on campus and in the city and nation beyond the university’s boundaries. ? By examining the quieter collisions between Iowa’s polite midwestern progressivism and African American students’ determined ambition; Invisible Hawkeyes focuses attention on both local stories and their national implications. By looking at the University of Iowa and a smaller midwestern college town like Iowa City; this collection reveals how fraught moments of interracial collaboration; meritocratic advancement; and institutional insensitivity deepen our understanding of America’s painful conversion into a diverse republic committed to racial equality. SUBJECTS COVERED Edison Holmes Anderson; George Overall Caldwell; Elizabeth Catlett; Fanny Ellison; Oscar Anderson Fuller; Michael Harper; James Alan McPherson; Herbert Franklin Mells; Herbert Nipson; Thomas Pawley; William Oscar Smith; Mitchell Southall; Margaret Walker CONTRIBUTORS Dora Martin Berry; Richard M. Breaux; Kathleen A. Edwards; Lois Eichaker; Brian Hallstoos; Lena M. Hill; Michael D. Hill; Dianna Penny; Donald W. Tucker; Ted Wheeler
#3706659 in Books 2010-07-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.40 x 1.20 x 6.30l; 1.60 #File Name: 1606350382416 pages
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Grass roots historyBy WahrheitThis book brings together letters written by two members of the 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment; better known as the German Turner regiment of Cincinnati. They originally appeared in the German-language papers of Cincinnati and Louisville and have been nicely translated and provided with extensive notes (pp. 303-59). What is best about the book is that it allows you to see the Civil War through the eyes of two German-American soldiers and offers a grass roots view of the war from their perspective.
