Des Moines native and Drake University graduate Harriette Curley was hired as the first African-American teacher in the Des Moines Public Schools system in 1946. Curley taught kindergarten at Perkins Elementary.

Protesters at the time petitioned the board not to hire Curley. But as Superintendent N.D. McCombs noted: "She topped the list of applicants by a wide margin. The board has had a policy, in writing, for years that all boys and girls get the best teachers for the money we can pay. And they are not hired on a basis of color, creed, or nationality."

From the Des Moines Register: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/life/2020/02/07/10-iowa-black-history-month-facts-you-should-know/4602138002/
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