Alexander Clark Lecture Series: Josiah Bushnell and the Underground Railroad
1/14/21
Learn how one Iowa man contributed to the Underground Railroad with Muscatine Community College’s annual Alexander Clark Lecture Series.
This year’s free event will take place February 25 at 6 p.m. online via Zoom, and will tell the fascinating story of Josiah Bushnell Grinnell. You can easily join in on the lecture by visiting eicc.edu/alexanderclark during the designated day and time.
J.B. Grinnell and other residents of Grinnell, Iowa, were active members of the Underground Railroad, helping at least 37 fugitive slaves pass through their town before the Civil War. As history tell us though, not everyone supported his efforts.
Presenter David Connon will tell a story of racism, noble actions and conflict. He will highlight abolitionist John Brown’s visit to Grinnell, and Grinnell’s first riot over the presence of fugitive slaves in the public schools.
Connon spent nearly two decades researching dissenters in Iowa: Grinnell residents who helped on the Underground Railroad, and their polar opposites, Iowa Confederates. His research culminated in the book Iowa Confederates in the Civil War (Charleston: Fonthill Media/Arcadia Publishing, 2019).
Listed on the Humanities Iowa Speakers Bureau, Connon is the great-great-grandson of two Union veterans, a member of Sons of Union Veterans and of the Des Moines Civil War Round Table. He lives in Earlham.
The annual Alexander Clark Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the Alexander Clark Foundation, League of Women Voters of Muscatine County and Muscatine Community College.
For more information, contact Muscatine Community College at 563-288-6000. To access the zoom link, visit eicc.edu/alexanderclark
Questions? Call toll-free 1-888-336-3907, email eiccinfo@eicc.edu or contact the college nearest you and ask to speak to an advisor.
- Clinton Community College, 563-244-7000
- Muscatine Community College, 563-288-6000
- Scott Community College, 563-441-4000
It is the policy of Eastern Iowa Community College District not to discriminate in
its programs, activities, or employment on the basis of race, color, national origin,
sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, religion, and actual
or potential family, parental or marital status, as required by the Iowa Code §§216.6
and 216.9, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d and
2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational
Amendments, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681-1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C.
§ 794), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et
seq.). If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy,
please contact Debora J. Sullivan, Equal Employment Opportunity Officer/Equity Coordinator,
Eastern Iowa Community College District, 101 West Third Street, Davenport, Iowa 52801,
563-336-3487, djsullivan@eicc.edu or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights,
U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1475,
Chicago, Illinois 60661-7204, phone number 312-730-1560, fax 312-730-1576, OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.