DES MOINES, Iowa — Thomas Mann Jr., elected in 1982, was the first Black Iowan to serve in the state senate.
He also served as an assistant attorney general and was the first executive director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
Mann Jr. advocated for civil liberties and social justice throughout his time in the Legislature.
Watch more Black History Month stories on YouTube
Related Stories
- Celebrating Black Iowans: Laurence C. Jones
- Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission highlighting local Black leaders
- Remembering Pauline Humphrey, the first Black woman to own a beauty school in Iowa
- Black History Month: Steps Iowa has taken to end systemic racism, what Black leaders say still needs to be done
- Black History Month: How did it start, and why February?