Iowa has long been thought of as one of the whitest states in the Union, and that reputation is not without merit. Even though Iowa has a small black population, a new book highlights the richness of the African-American experience in the Hawkeye state.

“Iowa’s Black Legacy,” by Charline J. Barnes and Floyd Bumpers, captures the images of black Iowans from Burlington to Sioux City, from Des Moines to Fort Dodge.

Though Iowa’s minority population has never fluctuated far from 2 percent of the state’s total number of residents, evidence suggests a long tradition of black Iowans living and working alongside white Iowans in a unique, often unacknowledged peace.

Iowa is not free from the same bigotry and prejudice that afflict the rest of the country, but when examining the history of the state, a striking element is the surprising story of Buxton, a racially integrated coal town where whites and blacks lived and worked side by side, earned the same pay for the same work and quietly made history.

The Underground Railroad ran straight through Iowa, taking runaway slaves from lives of rape, torture, pain and fear to freedom in the land of milk and honey.

Ft. Des Moines was home to the first black officers’ training school and produced 1,200 African-American officers for service in World War I. It was also a training center for African-American women who went on to serve with distinction as well.

But this book is not just about the greatest of accomplishments; it is also about the basics.

“Iowa’s Black Legacy” is divided into 11 chapters, 10 of which are devoted to Iowa towns and cities. The final chapter, “Gone but not forgotten,” pays homage to the most important historical events in the lives of Iowa’s black Americans.

The chapters devoted to Iowa towns are like photo albums of the prominent black families from each of these communities.

There are pictures of people, churches and business. There are also newspaper clippings with announcements and line drawings.

It is a quick and ready reference source that often reads more like basic proof that African-Americans are living in Iowa than anything else.

The benefit is that anyone interested in quickly digesting basic facts about blacks in Iowa can open this book, flip to a particular town and learn that it was home to one of the first black men’s business clubs in the United States.

On this level, it would make a great coffee table book. It’s fun, easy to browse through and makes the point that African-Americans have made their mark here in the various communities.

However, just as one gets interested in a particular story, the book moves on to the next chapter.

The section on Iowa’s role in the Underground Railroad is only half a page long with only one photo devoted to it. Buxton and Ft. Des Moines fare no better. Just when you start to get into what is set before you, it is time to move on.

The book suffers from being an overly broad look at the state’s black citizenry. But as a photographic history of who’s who in Iowa, it is a success.

It is interesting to see who has done what in this state, from professional wrestlers to professional musicians, opera singers, fighter pilots and more.

One glaring omission from the book was a chapter on Council Bluffs. Good or bad, it would have been nice to see how one of Iowa’s largest metropolitan areas stacked up against the rest.

3 Stars