Just Before the Battle Mother—A Visit from a Civil War SoldierMr. Fargo dresses in full Union Army regalia and focuses the first person presentation on an individual Iowa soldier’s Civil War experience. After a brief overview of the state’s involvement, the audience is introduced to a returning Civil War veteran (played by O. J. Fargo). […]

JJ Singh KapurJJ Kapur began his interfaith work in Iowa in high school. He started a youth organization called “The Turbanators,” which focused on “turban-ating” the negative stigma surrounding Sikhism through awareness building and community service. In 2017, he became the first turbaned Sikh to win the most prestigious high school speech and debate competition […]

JJ Singh KapurJJ Kapur began his interfaith work in Iowa in high school. He started a youth organization called “The Turbanators,” which focused on “turban-ating” the negative stigma surrounding Sikhism through awareness building and community service. In 2017, he became the first turbaned Sikh to win the most prestigious high school speech and debate competition […]

Voicing a Cause, Voicing a Self: Jane Addams at the Hull HouseThroughout her long career advocating the needs of impoverished immigrants, exploited laborers, youth criminals and war victims, Jane Addams valued Hull House, her settlement house in Chicago, as the center from which she and her colleagues could assist others, improve society and benefit themselves. […]

Promoting Peace, Subverting Domesticity: Cookbooks Against War, 1970-2010This historical project analyzes peace activist cookbooks, revealing how such texts ignite activism, enable community identity for subcultures and adeptly subvert women’s domestic roles. The discussion this research features further extends our understandings of cookbooks and other “feminine” genres

Vinh NguyenVinh Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam. After the Vietnam War ended, life in South Vietnam changed completely. In the summer of 1981, Vinh’s parents arranged for him to be smuggled out of the country along with 134 other Vietnamese on a tiny boat that was barely seaworthy. After the boat was rescued by […]

Lilian OkechLilian Okech is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, author, teacher, and visionary. She co-authored two Time Amazon # 1 bestselling books and is the co-founder of an organization that brings internet services and computer training to people of South Sudan. Lilian was born in Kitgum, Uganda, in a refugee camp a few months after her […]

How Iowa Met Baseball: the Myths, the History, the PlayersOver the past century the setting for the spring passion of many Iowans has been the ballpark. This presentation explores the myths of baseball’s origins, the early history and evolution of the game, baseball’s journey to Iowa and the role of the Civil War in spreading its […]

Camp Dodge: Home Away from Home 1917-1918Following the U.S. entry into World War I the War Department undertook the task of raising, training, equipping and arming a force large enough to successfully contribute the Allied war effort. Camp Dodge, Iowa, was selected as one of 16 training camps for draftee soldiers. The small Iowa National Guard camp […]

Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant is a one-man show about the life and times of the Civil War General and 18th President of the United States. Pete Grady, the author and performer, has performed his show over 100 times at venues in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, Colorado, and Arizona. Grady is fully […]

AI and the Human FutureThis presentation focuses on the big moral and political issues surrounding artificial intelligence. What exactly is AI? Can it make our lives and our communities better, or is it going to take all our jobs and kill us off? Can AI respect privacy, or is privacy a thing of the past? […]

Gabby GuerraGabby Guerra is a proud immigrant from Santa Ana, El Salvador. In 2002, she and her family were forced to immigrate to Iowa due to the violent and impoverished conditions in El Salvador. Gabby grew up in Des Moines and faced many challenges in learning a new language and navigating a different culture. Gabby […]