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 Hide Transcript 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 EXPECTED, BUT AGAIN, THAT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF IOWA LAWS. THERE TURNED OUT TO BE A CASE LATER IN THE 1950’S THAT SUE KATZ DRUG STORE FOR NOT PERMITTING PEOPLE NOT TO EAT AT THEIR SODA FOUNTAIN THERE. RHEYA: NOT PERMITTING BLACK PEOPLE, RIGHT? ELAINE: MMHMM. RHEYA: WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CIVIL RIGHTS AND WHAT PEOPLE WERE FIGHTING FOR WHEN YOU WERE IN THE THICK OF IT, VERSUS GEORGE FLOYD AND WHAT IGNITED THOSE PROTESTS HERE? ELAINE: THE CIVIL RIGHTS WERE VERY STRUCTURED, AND VERY GOAL-ORIENTED, AND VERY CAREFULLY THOUGHT THROUGH, AND FORMALIZED, WITH PEOPLE WORKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE WERE SORT OF IN THE 2020 YEAR, WHICH HAD MANY THINGS GOING ON POLITICALLY, AND SOCIALLY, AND AT RANDOM, AND SO I THINK THAT’S THE ONE DIFFERENCE IN THERE, NOT BEING STRUCTURE OR PARTICULAR THINGS TO ACHIEVE. RHEYA: WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE NOW IN IOWA AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY? ELAINE: I’M NOT SURE HOW TO TRAIN PEOPLE’S MIND, OR THEIR TASTE, OR THEIR EXPOSURE TO UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ACCEPTED ON THEI OWN COGNIZANCE. GEORGE FLOYD AND THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED, THERE IS KIND OF AN ASSUMPTION THAT THEY ARE ALL THE SAME, AND THAT CERTAINLY IS NOT TRUE. AND PEOPLE SHOULD BE LISTENED TO AND GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THEIR CASE BEFORE THEY’RE SHOT DOWN. RHEYA: THE LEADERS WHO ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER THIS WORLD, WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WOULD SAY TO THEM? ELAINE: BE INFORMED BEFORE YOU MAKE A DECISION. BEING INFORMED MEANS B