Lemuel Anderson, Olivia Carrasco, Adrian Gomez Paz, Smeet Mistry, Carleen Silva, and Andrew Whitehead, the presenters of Lost Stories: Women of Color at Iowa State University, started by posing two question to the audience in relation to Jack Trice, Pilar Garcia, George Washington Carver and Carrie Chapman Catt, “do you know this person,” and “what do you know about them.”

For Carrie Chapman Catt, around 20 people knew who she was. They knew that she was an educator and there is a building on campus named after her. For Jack Trice, around 30 people knew who he was. The information they knew about him ranged from there being a football field named after him to pieces of information about his career at Iowa State. Over 20 people knew who George Washington Carver and knew he was the first black man to graduate from Iowa State.

3 people knew who Pilar Garcia was. One piece of information that was know about her is that there is a scholarship named after her.

When reflecting on the activity, one women pointed out that out of the famous Iowa State graduates, the only person she did not know was the only women of color.

The students presenting are all part of SJ2750. Their mission statement is “it’s not about changing minds, it’s about changing structures. In this presentation, they pointed out that women of color have been lost in history at Iowa State.

The students presented 10 different women of color that graduated from Iowa State.

Willa J. Ewing.

• Bachelors in Horticulture in 1926 and Masters in horticulture in 1935

• Earliest record of a woman of color graduating from Iowa State

• Co Founder of Alaskan Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc on June 24, 1959

Mary Evelyn Victoria Hunter

• First African American woman to receive a masters degree at Iowa State in home economics in 1931

• Professor and department head of Home Economics at Virginia State

• Organized a Texas-wide “Home Economics Week”

Marion Richards Myles

• PhD in botany in 1945

• Research fellow in 1943 in plant physiology

• Head of division of science and mathematics at Fort Valley State College

• First African American faculty members at University of Mississippi Medical School

Olive Mugenda

• 4 degrees including a masters degree in 1983, a PhD in 1988 from ISU in family studies

• Distinguished Alumni Award recipient in 2006

• First woman vice chancellor of the University in the East Africa Region

Nawal El Moutawakel

• Bachelors in physical education in 1987

• First Moroccan citizen and first Muslim women from Africa to win Olympic gold

• Won gold in 400 meter hurdles in 1984

• She was the first track and field gold medalist from Iowa State University

• Fourth every cyclone to win a gold medal and the first woman from Iowa State to win a gold medal

Verda Louise Williams

• Masters in general graduate studies in 1987

• Communication specialist in IOwa State University’s extension communication services

• Filmmaker and producer

• Wrote and produced “Black Des Moines: Voices Seldom Heard” in 1985

• National COntinuing Education Award

• United Press International Award

Meron Wondwosen

• Bachelors in Political Science and French in 1998

• Former editor of Uhura! Magazine

• Former Black Student Alliance president

• Instrumental leader in the September 29th movement

• Professors in French Department wrote a letter in her defense to the Iowa State Daily

• Link here it’s called “ISU should be proud of Meron Wondwosen”

Lenora Moragne

• Bachelors in nutrition in 1953

• Head of US Agricultural Department- Department of Nutrition and Education

• World’s Who’s Who of Women in 1977

• Who’s Who Among Black Americans

Pilar Garcia

• Masters in 1952 and PhD in 1955 in Nutrition from Iowa State University

• Acomo Outstanding Teacher Award in 1986

• Pilar A. Garcia Student Achievement Fund

• Faced with potential deportation in 1956

• Congress passed bill S.2349

• Obtained her citizenship in 1961

• Failed ISU football player Steve Lester in 1991

• Lester signed with a different school the following year

• Pilar received death threats as a result

The students sifted through yearbooks and digital archives to find the information that they presented on.

In discussing what can be done, the presenters asked that everyone in the room continue the conversation and continue to inform other Iowa State students, faculty and staff. 

Presenters discussed the movement to rename Catt hall and some of their reasons behind wanting it renamed.

“For me it feels like a slap in my face and my views aren’t welcomed here,” Carrasco said.

Silca spoke about how the university should change the name of Catt Hall to a women of color and if the university needs help choosing a name, they have just presented 10 great option.

During the question and concern section of presentation, one audience member pointed out that Wendy Wintersteen, the president of Iowa State, was in attendance. “Some of these initiatives that you want to do, maybe you should set up an appointment and speak directly to her and to get beyond just talking about it maybe that’s the next step that needs to be done,” the audience member said.

“The question about Carrie Chapman Catt is a big question, and I think that one is one that deserves conversation with the scholars that have been engaged in this conversation over the decade. So maybe that’s one way to move that particular conversation forward is really to get the people in the room that have done the research for a conversation with our students,” Wintersteen said.

Concluding the conversation, the presenters stated that in these conversations, people need to look at who is being included in the conversations and who is not.