2018.012.010 [Wallet]

This wallet belonged to Samuel Joe Brown, an Iowa attorney who fought for civil rights. Brown began his legal career in Buxton, Iowa, working with noted black attorney George Woodson (co-founder of the Niagara Movement - what would later become the NAACP). He later opened a branch in Des Moines due to the increasing African American population. In 1905, Brown took a case to the Iowa Supreme Court. He defended black juror W. M. Humburd who, while deliberating a civil case, was not allowed to sit with fellow jurors at dinner in the home they had been staying. The Court ruled in Humburd's favor, awarding him $50 in damages. One of Brown's final cases was representing Charles and Ann Toney in an anti-discrimination suit in 1944. The Toney's were refused service in a Davenport ice cream parlor. The waitress admitted to denying service based on their race and was fined $10 plus court costs. Content can be used with the following standards: 5th grade SS 5.26 Civil Rights, 8th grade SS 8.25 Iowa Government and SS G-v. 9-12.28 Iowa Issues and Policy on Civil Rights cases and policies in Iowa. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.