Edna Griffin claimed she learned to read with access to The Crisis, a publication of the NAACP.
11 Facts About Edna Griffin
1.
2.
In 1933, Edna Griffin received a degree in English from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, preparing her for a career as a school teacher.
3.
When she arrived in Des Moines, Edna Griffin got involved with the Iowa Progressive Party and supported Henry Wallace in the presidential race.
4.
Edna Griffin launched a campaign to force Katz to serve African Americans by leading boycotts, sit-ins and pickets.
5.
Edna Griffin created a Committee to End Jim Crow at Katz.
6.
Edna Griffin was represented by Charles Howard and Henry McKnight, members of the local NAACP.
7.
Edna Griffin continued to be an active participant in the civil rights movement throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
8.
Edna Griffin founded the Des Moines chapter of the Congress for Racial Equality being selected as the first president.
9.
Edna Griffin has been honored as the recipient of many awards which include the Community Service Award from Blacks in Government, Urban Dreams' Trailblazer Award, and the Christine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice.
10.
Edna Griffin was awarded the YWCA's Mary Louise Smith Award as well as inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame and the Iowa African American Hall of Fame.
11.
The work of Edna Griffin is recognized throughout the community of Des Moines.