Leaders honored for making history

CEDAR RAPIDS - The African American Museum of Iowa will honor five individuals for making history on Sept. 26 at the History Makers Gala at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW.

The gala will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are available at Blackiowa.org or by contacting Katherine Smith at (319) 862-2101, Ext 216 or kgfsmith@blackiowa.org.

The 2013 recipients are:

Elaine Estes

Now retired, Elaine Estes of Des Moines served as the first and only black director of the Des Moines Public Library. She started at the library in 1956, serving in various roles until she became director in 1978. During her tenure, she oversaw a successful fundraising and land acquisition program to restore the Historic Main Library and passed the only bond issue in the history of the library to cover the cost of automating the library and building a new branch. The Des Moines library was the first in America to carry out a “Preservation of Material Program and Disaster Preparedness Plan,” which was modeled across the state and nation. She was active in defeating censorship and protecting library patrons' privacy of records.

As an undergraduate at Drake University in Des Moines, Estes helped integrate the girls' dormitory, and was the first black female graduate of the College of Business Administration. She is an authority on the history of the Library Bill of Rights and was influential in establishing the National Bar Association archives at the Des Moines Public Library. Now retired, she continues to share her time, experiences, and expertise with organizations such the Terrace Hill Commission, the Iowa Questers, and the Des Moines Art Center.

Angela Franklin

Dr. Angela Franklin of Des Moines became Des Moines University's 15th president in the spring of 2011. She is the first black female to serve as president of a medical/health sciences university. A licensed clinical psychologist, she completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1985 at Emory University (Atlanta, GA), followed by a yearlong clinical internship at Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta, GA). Before coming to Des Moines University, she was executive vice president and provost at Meharry Medical College in Nashville before where she oversaw academic and administrative departments.

Franklin serves on the boards of the Science Center of Iowa, Bankers Trust, and The Greater Des Moines Partnership. In January, she was named chairwoman of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement in Des Moines.

Henri Harper

Henri Harper of Iowa City is founder of FasTrac, a program that assists high school students with their academic performance, community involvement, social growth, identity and preparation for college. Harper has been actively involved in advocating for the rights and achievement of others for years. Serving as the Juvenile Court school liaison and an at-risk facilitator, he was employed with the Iowa City Community School District from 1998 until 2010. He started FasTrac in 2007, and when his position was cut in 2010, he made the program community-based by merging with the Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program. FasTrac now partners with 40 community-based entities working primarily with minority and low-income youth in Johnson County.

Before working for the Iowa City Community School District, Harper worked as a Juvenile Court tracker with Lutheran Social Services and as a youth advocate at Youth Home Structured Community Independent Living. Among other volunteer commitments, he is a member of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission and is recipient of the Commission's 2011 Isabel Turner Award for Outstanding Contributions in Human Rights, as well as the State of Iowa Governor's Award, and multiple awards from the Iowa City Community School District.

LaSheila Yates

LaSheila Yates of Cedar Rapids is the housing programs manager for the City of Cedar Rapids, a passionate community activist, and an advocate for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. She received her BA and MA in Sociology from Southern University A&M (Baton Rouge, LA) while also serving in the Louisiana Army National Guard; she then received another MA in Social Science from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL) before becoming a Civil Rights Investigator with the City of Cedar Rapids in 2008.

Yates is the first black woman to hold the title of Mrs. Iowa International. Her focus has been on promoting underrepresented populations in STEM. She has worked with the Governor's STEM Advisory Council and helped coordinate the first iExplore STEM Festival. She advocates for disabled workers serving on the Iowa Commission of Persons with Disabilities and working to make October “Disability in Employment Awareness” month across Iowa. She also sits on the boards of many area organizations, including the Area Substance Abuse Council, Foundation 2, and United Way of East Central Iowa. She is active with Girl Scouts; serves as an English as a Second Language tutor, and is owner of Cultural Perspectives, a diversity training and consulting company.

Tom Moore

Tom Moore of Hiawatha is perhaps best known as a founder and the second executive director of the African American Museum of Iowa. Moore served in the US Air Force for 4 years before joining Quaker Oats and eventually moving to Iowa. After enjoying a 30 year career with Quaker Oats, Moore devoted himself to the AAMI by volunteering as interim Executive Director. During his 10 years at the museum, Moore guided it through the grand opening, years of changing exhibits, the Floods of 2008, the economic recession and other challenges.

In addition to his work with the museum, Moore is a devoted member of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, serving as a trustee, choir member and teacher. He is also active with Juneteenth, Rotary International, and Gideons International. He serves, or has served, on the board of directors at United Way of East Central Iowa, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, First Light Christian Church, and the Iowa Museum Association, among others.