Bill > SR109

This resolution, passed by the Senate, recognizes the 200th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Clark, an influential Iowan born in 1826, and honors his significant legacy. Clark was a prominent figure in the fight for human rights and equality, actively working to repeal discriminatory "Black laws" in Iowa, serving as a recruiter for African American Civil War troops, and advocating for suffrage for Black men. Notably, he successfully sued the Muscatine School Board in *Clark v. Board of School Directors*, leading to the integration of Iowa's public schools decades before the landmark *Brown v. Board of Education* decision. Beyond his legal and political activism, Clark was a lay leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, a respected orator and publisher, a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, and served as the United States Minister to Liberia, holding the highest diplomatic post available to Black Americans in the 19th century. The resolution acknowledges his enduring impact on the legal and moral fabric of Iowa and the nation, celebrating his life dedicated to the principle of human equality.