Woman shares story of being first Black female to reside in Drake dorms Share Updated: 10:05 PM CST Feb 28, 2021 Share Updated: 10:05 PM CST Feb 28, 2021
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Show Transcript SCOTT: ELAINE ESTES IS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE. SHE CAME TO IOWA AT 16 TO ATTEND DRAKE UNIVERSITY. AND SHE MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO RESIDE IN DRAKE DORMS AND AS AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR DES MOINES PUBLIC LIBRARY. KCCI’S RHEYA SPIGNER SHARES HER STORY. RHEYA: WALKING THROUGH, I THINK I WANT TO START WITH YOUR JOURNEY COMING FROM MISSOURI TO DRAKE UNIVERSITY.% ELAINE: THEY INDICATED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE DORMITORY. MY PARENTS SAID I COULD NOT COME TO SCHOOL HERE AT 16-YEARS-OLD, BECAUSE I HAD TO BE IN THE DORMITORY. RHEYA: TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT FELT LIKE, BEING IN DES MOINES. DID IT SEEM NEUTRAL, DID IT SEEM PROGRESSIVE FOR PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE US? ELAINE: WE WERE LATER SURPRISED THAT SOME THINGS WERE NOT AS OPEN AS WE HAD EX