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Welcoming Ben Washington
Welcoming Ben Washington
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Executive Director Bill Kopsky pens tribute to ...
Executive Director Bill Kopsky pens tribute to Celestine Wesley

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NLR To Publicly Memorialize Lynching Victim Amid Black History Controversy

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE Arkansas Peace & Justice Memorial Movement


CONTACT: Kwami Abdul-Bey

PHONE: 501-442-7377

EMAIL: kwami@APJMM.org

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – In October 1906, two weeks after a race massacre engulfed Atlanta, Georgia, leaving nearly three dozen Black people dead, a similar event occurred here in what is now known as the Historic Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock.  Ten people died during the "Argenta Race Riot of 1906," including Homer G. Blackwell, a successful Black entrepreneur, restaurateur and leader in the Black community, who was lynched on the evening of October 7th at the intersection of 6th and Main Streets.

"One hundred and seventeen years after this racialized terror lynching of a clearly innocent Black man by a multitude of persons unknown, we will install an historical marker at the same intersection where this still unsolved crime occurred to memorialize Blackwell's life and his humanity," said Kwami Abdul-Bey, one of the co-founders and co-conveners of the Arkansas Peace & Justice Memorial Movement (APJMM) who recently earned a Professional Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice from Vermont Law School, "His story may not be one that we can read about in our history books, but it will now be one that we can learn from by reading this prominently placed marker." 

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The hybrid historical marker installation ceremony will take place beginning at 10 A.M. CST on Saturday, October 7, 2023, on 6th Street between Main and Maple Streets in downtown North Little Rock, and will be broadcast live on the APJMM Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/@APJMM2019) and the APJMM Facebook page (www.facebook.com/APJMM2019). 

Admission is free, but seating is limited to only one hundred participants, so everyone is highly encouraged to register to attend at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/memorializing-the-life-humanity-of-homer-g-blackwell-blackman-tickets-727739567637.

 

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APJMM is working in partnership with Just Communities of Arkansas (JCA) and the APJMM Pulaski County Community Remembrance Project, and in collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), the Central Arkansas chapter of Coming To The Table, and Noose to Needle AR, to host this historical marker installation ceremony publicly acknowledge the reality of the tragic history that led to the violent death of Homer G. Blackwell, a Tennessee native who is believed to have possibly relocated to Argenta with his mother and sister after the 1892 lynching of the three Black male owners of the People's Grocery Store in Memphis.  Locally known as Blackman, Blackwell was arrested on the night of October 6th, shortly after his return via train from Lake Village in Chicot County, as reported by the Arkansas Gazette newspaper.  The next day, he was forcefully taken around 9:00 P.M. by a group of masked gunmen from the Argenta city jail (now the North Little Rock History Commission headquarters) and lynched on an electric light pole which is believed to have been either in front of Mechanics Lumber Company (now the North Little Rock Tourism headquarters) or Argenta Ice Company (now the Argenta Plaza) then his lynched body was shot at least 50 times by the gunmen who as they stood in front of Stuckey Brothers Grocery (now Argenta Counseling and Wellness), according to a little known published eyewitness account by C.C. Stuckey that Cary Bradbum of the North Little Rock History Commission recently provided to APJMM.

This memorial event comes exactly one month after six Arkansas schools were ordered by state Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva to submit for review the curricula materials for a pilot Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies after he stated in a letter to the schools that the course may violate Arkansas law.  Earlier this year, this same AP course was deemed by the Florida Department of Education to "significantly lack educational value."

"We are not deterred by the current political climate of book bannings and course revocations to hide both state and national history of racialized terrorism against others by the dominant white culture," said Clarice Abdul-Bey, the other APJMM co-founder / co-convener who recently participated in the Cultural Vistas New Transatlantic Synergies: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Culture of Remembrance (DAICOR) reciprocal exchange program that promotes an inclusive and progressive culture of remembrance in public spaces in Germany and the United States.  "This memory work has as its goals: (1) the humanizing of those that have been historically marginalized; (2) the deterring of future generations from replicating this history; and (3) the healing of our present generations of descendants of both the victims and the perpetrators of this historical violence that has been largely left out of our history books."

To this end, APJMM has successfully enlisted a cross-section of community voices to speak and present at the Blackwell marker ceremony.  North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick will present a proclamation in honor of Blackwell; North Little Rock School District Superintendent will discuss how the current political climate negatively impacts the preparation of tomorrow's community, business, and governmental leaders; both Arkansas Historical Association Board of Trustees President Rachel Patton and Black History Commission of Arkansas Commissioner Elise Hampton will issue public statements discussing the importance of teaching and learning all aspects of Arkansas history without reservation; and State Representative Jamie Scott (a descendant of the North Little Rock Six who unsuccessfully attempted to integrate North Little Rock High School) will speak on the public policy implications of the current political climate.

Other speakers will include: Dr. Jerome Green (Shorter College President and Executive Committee Chairman of the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce), Marie Hollowell (First Vice President of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP), Benito Lubazibwa (ReMix I.D.E.A.S. founder), and two Pulaski County high school students who support the teaching of Arkansas Black history.  Additionally, there will be performances by musician Joshua Asante and the Writeous Poets.  Also during the event, APJMM will also formally launch the 2023 APJMM / EJI Racial Justice High School Essay Contest where any public high school student in Pulaski County can earn up to $5000 in unrestricted postsecondary educational scholarships and officially begin its signature collection drive to get 6th Street renamed Homer G. Blackwell Avenue. 

"Once installed, the Blackwell marker will become the third historical marker in the State of Arkansas--the second in Pulaski County--erected since 2020 to memorialize the lives of the 493 known lynching victims in our state which has the third highest number," said Kwami Abdul-Bey, "And, we are already making plans for the fourth marker to be erected in Malvern in 2024, as well as supporting the upcoming 100th year commemmoration of the Catcher Race Riot and Expulsion of 1923 in the Ft. Smith area."

Clarice and Kwami Abdul-Bey will also be featured speakers at the 6th Annual "Lynching in Maryland" Conference on October 14th where they will discuss their ongoing--and thus far failed--efforts to get the Arkansas legislature to create a truth and reconciliation commission modeled after the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and to get the Arkansas governor follow the example of the Maryland governor by posthumously exonerating all of Arkansas' victims of racialized terrorism, starting with the 122 Black men wrongfully convicted after the Elaine Race Massacre of 1919.

https://apjmm.org

Rally NEAR The CAPITOL: Invest in Our Future

Our Policy Director Kymara Hill Seals spoke out Tuesday against the tax cut bill, which sadly passed #arleg this week.

HOWEVER, the FIGHT still CONTINUES for a better future!

“There are numerous, numerous critical needs in the state of Arkansas right now.

This is not a good time for tax cuts for the wealthy – that’s who going to benefit the most are the wealthiest and the corporations.

We have a lot of unmet needs in our state… We know AR ranks 43rd in wellbeing of children in this country.

One of the things we need – one of many – is we need funding for early childhood education.

We have not had an increase in levels of funding in over a decade. That is unacceptable for a state as wealthy as Arkansas. That is unacceptable.

1 in 5 children in Arkansas live in poverty. That is unacceptable. That is unacceptable for a state as wealthy as Arkansas.

Over 134,000 children in Arkansas are facing hunger. Again, I say, that is unacceptable. That is unacceptable for a state like Arkansas.

So if we have all these excess funds – a surplus – why can’t our legislators focus on some of these unmet needs.

We also know that over 100,000 kids – we’re not talking parents and adults – just kids lost their medicaid coverage over the past 4 or 5 months. That is unacceptable. That is UNACCEPTABLE.

We’ve got to fight. We’ve got to speak up. We’ve got to let our voices by heard. We’ve got to talk to our legislators – make sure they hear this.

ALL of this is needs of CHILDREN.

Then you think about the foster care system: They need MORE workers in the system to CARE FOR our MOST VULNERABLE children in the State of Arkansas.

One of the things we’re always hearing our legislators talk about is being pro-life. Well, pro life to what extent, right?

So, we see the hypocrisy of what some of our legislators talk about when they say “pro life”. Because all these issues I just talked about dealing with kids, this is a pro-life issue. So, we need to call out the hypocrisy of these legislators. And hold them accountable. As constituents WE need to hold them accountable.

They’re talking out of both sides of their mouth.

We have a lot of needs. We have critical needs. We’re here to fight for those needs. We’re here to try to stop these unnecessary tax cuts.

Arkansas Public Policy Panel and Citizens First Congress are here for the fight. We’re here for it, and we’re going to continue to fight.

So, LET’S DO THIS! #investinarfuture #notaxcuts4rich

Big shout out to our partners in this fight & for Tuesday's Rally NEAR the Capitol: Invest in our Future: Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, AR Coalition for Strong Families, Arkansas Waiver Association- AWA, & Arkansas Support Network!

Transparency: vital to Democracy, freedom of ALL Arkansans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 12, 2023

OP-ED co-written by Kwami Abdul-Bey and Ashton Eley
Arkansan activists, writers, and coworkers at the Arkansas Public Policy Panel


Transparency: Vital to Democracy, freedom of ALL Arkansans

Kwami: I’ve lived as a quasi-public figure most of my adult life. Many years ago, after a series of guest co-host appearances on the old KARN’s legendary “Pat Lynch Show,” where I discussed my views on the problematic ways Arkansas polices its Black and poor communities, I received actual, credible death threats. I felt the need to hire personal bodyguards, at my own expense, during that period. I now have a family with children and cannot imagine having to deal with that with them. 

Ashton: I’m a life-long, multi-generational Arkansan with family hailing from Saline County, Crossett and outside Nashville, AR. The values of education and self-governance were instilled in me from an early age. These values are part of what led me to work as a local journalist. To practice – to the best of my ability – principles of truth, independence, fairness, humanity and accountability. 

I’ve received threatening phone calls from blocked numbers. While on the job, I’ve seen some of the best and worst of what my fellow citizens – from many walks of life, including those in positions of power – are capable of. As a female reporter and activist, I’ve been verbally and physically harassed (all while making barely livable wages). I’ve struggled to balance my work and my own safety. I’ve seen close friends and colleagues pressured to change jobs and move towns due to credible death threats. 

Neither of us particularly care for the way Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders conducts herself as a public figure. But during her Friday news conference, when Sanders said that she and her family had been subjected to death threats, we could immediately empathize. Hopefully, we all can sympathize with the need to protect children, regardless of what we think about their parents’ politics. We believe in ensuring that the First Family is safe from potential harm while in public service. At the same time, using this premise as a misleading talking point for this week’s retroactive legislative attack on Arkansas’s lauded Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is unconscionable. 

FOIA laws help protect every citizen’s right to know what their government is doing. Journalists, and other professionals who use FOIA to compel information from our government, are just doing what any Arkansan has the right to do. It also helps uphold our fundamental democratic, first amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press. Arkansans have long used and benefited from our strong Freedom of Information law, staying informed and uncovering misdeeds, secret deals and grabs for money and power. 

Responding to FOIA requests may make public servants' jobs seem less “efficient”, as Sanders also said, but transparency is in fact part of our government’s job. They work for us. 

Upholding the strength of this law is not a partisan issue. Pulaski and Saline County Republican Party Committees have publicly issued statements condemning Gov. Sanders’ attack on our Arkansas FOIA. Conservative Republicans, as well as more left-leaning legal professionals, have publicly spoken against this proposed amendment.

The people’s power – our democracy – dies in darkness. But the light of truth dispels such darkness. 

Our FOIA already has appropriate public information exemptions in place to protect the security, ongoing litigation and personnel matters of our public servants. Any further protections needed – we aren’t security experts either, Sarah – must be addressed through other means. The safety concerns may be legit, but this talking point is a red herring when it comes to Arkansas’s FOIA. 

This proposed amendment is, at least in part, an intimidation tactic against those with less power than our Governor but who have the audacity to look into her and other government office’s  spending habits. If passed, it would create new exemptions and could very well shield government officials committing the very questionable activity she is being accused of from being held accountable. This still holds true for the latest version made public after 9 p.m. last night (Sept. 11).

Yes, FOIA can be “weaponized” in a way. Arkansas FOIA Task Force member Jimmie Cavin of Conway has weaponized the FOIA process to, in his words, “enforce Gov. Sanders’ executive order on CRT.” He has bombarded Arkansas public school boards and school districts with dozens of FOIA requests on a weekly basis to see if he can find any perceived, so-far baseless violations. 

However, much of the time the truth simply is that some government offices aren’t properly equipped or well-manned enough to handle the case load. Again, weakening our democracy is not the solution to these problems. 

The party platform of Arkansas’ supermajority states that they “firmly support transparency and openness at every level of government. Those elected, appointed, and employed in government work for the taxpayers of this state and must provide public information when requested, in line with Arkansas’s Freedom of Information Act.” 

We all need to help hold our elected officials accountable and practice direct democracy when possible. Let’s all do what we can to protect our strong Arkansas FOIA by contacting lawmakers now. 

We have numerous ways we can let our voices be heard, here’s some: 

Finally, make sure to vote during election season if you’re eligible! 

To our elected officials, know that Arkansans will remember how you vote on this bill when we are in the voting booth. 

Panel Communications Coordinator Ashton Eley testifies against the FIOA exemptions bills Tuesday, Sept. 12.

PUBLIC STATEMENT: Arkansans’ Right to Information Under Attack

At the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, we believe in our state’s motto, “Regnat Populus”, meaning “the people rule.” Today, state elected officials attacked our right to know what our government is doing.

We all, as concerned Arkansans, should be raising the red flag now. Please contact your lawmakers to protect the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 

Arkansas legislators will go into a special session this coming Monday (September 11th) where the Governor has asked them to significantly weaken our FOIA law.

Arkansas has never been exempt from some elected and appointed government officials abusing their power to enrich themselves and help their friends at the expense of the public. Fortunately, Arkansas has long had one of the strongest freedom of information laws in the country. Citizens have used our FOIA law to uncover countless misdeeds, secret deals and grabs for money and power throughout the years. 

Not only does our FOIA law help expose these abuses, it’s also one of our most powerful deterrents against rogue government officials running amuck in the first place. 

If you are elected, appointed or employed by the public, you know that the public has a right to know what you're doing. Our law already has appropriate exemptions in place to protect the security and personnel matters of our public servants. Freedom of information is vital to democracy. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Our current Governor and many Arkansas lawmakers want to undermine that by putting many government communications under the veil of state secrets and make it harder for citizens to hold our officials accountable.

“The outcome of this proposal is not hard to imagine. It will lead to greater fraud and abuse of office. It will lead to more secret deals developed in back rooms and sprung on the public at the last minute when it’s too late for the public to have meaningful input,” said Bill Kopsky, Arkansas Public Policy Panel’s Executive Director. “It will allow big corporations and the politically connected to collude with government officials for sweetheart deals that undermine citizen’s rights and the free market. Arkansas can only remain the land where people rule when we can see what our government is doing.” 

We have to stop this state secrets bill.

You can easily find your state lawmakers and their contact information with the Citizens First Congress’ 2023 Arkansas Legislature Directory: www.citizensfirst.org/2023-arleg-directory.

Welcoming Ben Washington

The Panel is excited to announce that Ben Washington has filled the new role of Federal Relief and Infrastructure Campaign Coordinator for our organization!

Under the direction of Policy Director Kymara Seals, Ben will educate staff, leaders, and caucuses on what is in the Federal Covid Relief (CARES Act) and infrastructure packages, and how they will impact Arkansas.

Ben will serve as a liaison with our national partners to share about our work and learn about best practices from similar campaigns in other states, and he will be a liaison with local partners on policy research and analysis and more.

Ben is a researcher and data analyst with a history of serving the Little Rock community. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Clinton School of Public Service, where he focused his academic work on disparities experienced by vulnerable populations in Central Arkansas. His recent work has included the New York-based Esperanza, where he worked as a data associate to support the efforts of a juvenile alternative sentencing program. He is proficient with data visualization technology, primarily R and Power BI. He currently serves on the board of the Central Arkansas Harm Reduction Project.

“Ben brings a dedication and commitment to helping the community find and understand the resources needed to take life changing actions. He brings value as a researcher and data analyst,” Seals said. “He interned for the Panel years ago as a Clinton School of Public Service student and we are delighted to have him now as part of our Panel staff.”

Ben can be reached by email at: ben@arpanel.org



Organized people have power.