Downtown in Des Moines in Polk County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Civil Rights Victory
Katz Drug Store
⎯⎯⎯
July 7, 1948
| | Historic Site | |
Photographed by McGhiever, November 16, 2025
1. Civil Rights Victory Marker
At this site where Katz Drug Store once stood, on July 7, 1948, at 3:45 p.m., Edna Griffin, her infant daughter Phyllis, John Bibbs, and Leonard Hudson entered the store and ordered ice cream at the lunch counter. The manager refused to serve them, saying, It is the policy of our store that we don't serve colored."
Outraged members of the community responded with sit-ins and picketing directed at Katz and other local lunch counters refusing to serve patrons based on their race.
The Polk County Attorney's Office prosecuted the Katz manager under Iowa's only civil rights law, a criminal statute prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations. The manager was found guilty by a jury and fined $50. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the conviction in 1949.
One week before the Supreme Court ruling, civil rights attorneys Charles P. Howard and Henry T. McKnight, who was head of the local NAACP Legal Redress Committee, negotiated an agreement which successfully ended Katz's discriminatory practices.
These events foreshadowed the modern civil rights movement. Through non-violent protest and legal action in the courts, the movement ended tolerance of open discrimination in our country and resulted in policies and laws prohibiting racial discrimination. It may truly be said that those who
this page online
July 7, 1998
Erected 1998.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is July 7, 1948.
Location. 41° 35.191′ N, 93° 37.562′ W. Marker is in Des Moines, Iowa, in Polk County. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of Locust Street and 7th Street, on the right when traveling east on Locust Street. The marker is mounted on the northwest corner of the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 319 7th Street, Des Moines IA 50309, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The First Public Schoolhouse (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Savery Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); St Paul's Cathedral and Garden (approx. Ό mile away); Hawkeye Insurance Co. (approx. Ό mile away); Ronald W. Reagan (approx. Ό mile away); Homestead Building (approx. Ό mile away); The Iowa Commission for the Blind Building (approx. Ό mile away); Scottish Rite Consistory Building (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Des Moines.
Additional commentary.
Photographed by McGhiever, November 16, 2025
2. Civil Rights Victory Marker, mounted on the close corner the building
1.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Edna Griffin's nonviolent protest, the building was renamed the Edna Griffin Building in 1998.
— Submitted February 6, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 6, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 60 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 6, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
