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In this week's episode, we uncover the surprising story of Iowa's pivotal role in African American civil rights. From the groundbreaking 1839 court case that made Iowa a free territory to the remarkable story of Charlotta Pyles—a formerly enslaved woman who raised $3,000 through East Coast speaking tours to free her family members—we explore how this Midwestern state led the nation in civil rights advances.

Learn about Alexander Clark, a self-made businessman who successfully fought to desegregate Iowa's schools nearly 90 years before Brown v. Board of Education, and hear the inspiring tale of the Pyles family's daring escape from Kentucky to freedom in Keokuk.

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