the lincoln echo page 5

THE LINCOLN ECHO
We Report the NEWS. You Interpret It.
Volume 23 Issue 8
Website www.thelincolnecho.com
P.O. BOX 771 Fort Smith, Arkansas 72902
PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Fort Smith, AR
PERMIT#240
FEBRUARY 2014
50 CENTS
AFRICAN CHILDREN’S CHOIR
HELEN AND LOVELL
WISH YOU WELL
Central Presbyterian Church in Fort Smith recently hosted a
presentation of the African Children’s Choir.
The African Children’s Choir operates field programs that
promote education and spiritual development for children
and communities. Founded in 1984 they have established
education and training programs in some of the most war torn
and underdeveloped areas of Africa.
For more information about this project visit their website at:
http://www.africanchildrenschoir.com/ Helen (Morris) and Lovell Wedgeworth are well and looking
forward to attending the reunion this Summer. The remaining
Morris family get together each year and last year they gathered
at brother Robert Morris’s house in Flint, Michigan. Sister Clara
and her family, who reside in Texas, attended along with Helen
and Lovell.
Lovell and Helen realize the importance of taking care of
their health. They believe the Affordable Care Act will have the
same effect on our society as Social Security and Medicare.
This tremendous achievement by President Obama will have a
positive effect on all our citizens.
Helen and Lovell wish everyone the warmth of the Season,
Happiness of dreams fulfilled and a New Year of Joy, Peace and
Prosperity From The Gold Coast.
MARTIN LUTHER KING
BANQUET
DELTA’S BRING AFRICAN
AMERICAN HISTORY
The annual MLK Banquet was held at at The University of
Arkansas Fort Smith on Saturday January 18th. The event was well
attended and highlighted by presentations of scholarship awards
to future and present college students by local organizations and
agencies.
The event was emceed by Ms. Pauline Novak who did an
outstanding job. AMIRI BARACKA
BORN: October 7, 1934, Newark, NJ
Died: January 9, 2014, Newark, NJ
79-year-old author of blues-based, fist-shaking poems, plays
and criticisms died last Thursday.
Baraka’s supporters considered him a genius and a prophet.
But critics denounced him as homophobic and anti-Semitic.
He was named New Jersey’s poet laureate in 2002, Officials
couldn’t fire him so they eliminated the position.
His funeral will be held Saturday at Newark Symphony Hall.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson will be among those honoring activist poetplaywright Amiri Baraka at a wake in New Jersey.
The wake will be held at Newark’s Metropolitan Baptist Church on
Friday night.
Page 2 THE LINCOLN ECHO
NEWS YOU CAN USE
FEBRUARY 2014
TUTSI TRIBE OF AFRICA
The Watusi tribe, also called the Tutsi tribe, of Africa is found
in Rwanda and Burundi on the east side of the Congo. They
are commonly referred to as the tallest people in the world
since it not uncommon to encounter members of the Watusi
tribe who are 7 feet to 8 feet tall. Early scholars believed that
they were the descendants of the giants who fled from Joshua’s legions in the Bible before eventually ending up in Africa.
Some members of the tribe even claim to be descended from
ancient Semitic people.This culture is known for its dancers
who wear ankle bracelets with bells when twisting, bending
and leaping in a frenzy. Watusi women often have their heads
bound into conical shape at birth and train their hair to grow
straight up in order to add height. The men of the tribe are
known for being sedate and soft-spoken.During the 19th century, the region inhabited by the Watusi came under German
BRIANNA ELISE BROWN
Brianna Elise Brown is the
daughter of Monica Black
and Joseph Brown and grand
daughter Kenneth C. Black
Sr. and JoAnn Black of Forth
Smith Ark.
While attending Central
Visual and Performing Arts
High School in St. Louis,
Brianna found the creative
platform to cultivate her
musical skill and added acting
in musical theater. Brianna
has been highlighted in piano
recitals, musicals, one act
plays and countless vocal
performances in and outside
of the school setting.
Currently, under the
guidance of T Beats, Brianna
has found a way to express
all her talents as a solo artist
and in the formulation of a
jazz band called Brianna Elise
and her Trio, consisting of a
keyboardist, a bassist and a
drummer. Brianna wrote the lyrics
and released her first single
ìSee With Your Mindî this
year at the age of 16. It is
just the beginning, so be on
the lookout for Briannaís first
album release coming soon
titled ìThe Beginningî, a story
book of inspiration and feel
good rhythms of R&B, NeoSoul and Jazz
Please join us as we support
Brianna’s dream and endorse
her efforts to go to college
by purchasing a ticket for her
concert. If you are unable
to attend you may donate a
ticket to a youth in the public
school system or simple make
a donation. However, this
is a concert worth making
the trip to St. Louis Missouri
for!! Hope to see you March
20th 2014 @ The Sheldon in
St. Louis!
Tickets are on sale now at this
link: http://www.eventbrite.
com/e/live-your-dream-concert-tickets-9410447903
control, and it made into a colony. Following World War I, Belgium took over the region from Germany, setting up a colony
called Rwanda-Urundi. Following the example and precedent
of Germany, Belgium continued giving preferential political and
economic treatment to the Watusi. During the 1920s, the Belgian colonial authorities instituted a census that required residents to identify themselves as members of a particular ethnic
group since they believed they could exert greater control if
they were aware of the ethnic composition of the colony. It
was not until 1959 that the Belgian colonial authority permitted
the majority Hutu tribe to take a major role in the government.
In 1962, the northern part of the colony became the nation of
Rwanda, while the southern part became Burundi. Following
independence, ethnic rivalry between the Watusi and the Hutu
tribe continues.
FEBRUARY 2014
By Allene Stafford
WHAT’S GOING ON
THE LINCOLN ECHO PAGE 3
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Entertainment UAFort Smith
Man of La Mancha An aging but
idealistic would be knight –errant
pursues chivalry and virtue along side
his trusty aquire in this stirring Broadway
musical. Based on the 17th century
Cervantes masterpiece Don Quixote, the
original 1965 musical production of Man
of La Mancha won five Tony Awards and
introduced the ever popular song The
Impossible Dream. February 4, 2014
7:30 p.m. Arkansas Best Performing Arts
Center. [email protected] 479
788 7300
Bring It On: The Musical
Bitingly relevant and sprinkled with sass,
Bring It Own: The Musical, inspired
by the Bring It On film, takes you on a
high-flying journey through friendship,
forgiveness and determination. Bring
It On: The Musical tells the story of
the challenges and unexpected bonds
formed through the thrill of extreme
competition. The New York Times calls it,
Impossible to resist February 17, 2014.
Arkansas Best Performing Arts Center.
[email protected] 479 788
7300
Walton Arts Center UAFayetteville
I love Lucy Live On Stage is the brand
new hit musical stage show adapted
from the longest running and most
beloved television program in history.
It’s 1952 and you are a member of the
studio audience, awaiting the filming of
two hilarious and oh-so- familiar I Love
Lucy episodes. For tickets and more
information, visit www.waltonartscenter.
org
Walton Arts Center
UAFayetteville 12th Annual
Crimson & Cream Ball
The Northwest Arkansas alumnae
chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
will once again host its annual ball.
This fundraiser benefits the Nola
Royster Living Legacy Scholarship
and the Bethany McClendon Graduate
Scholarship. Visit www.nwadst.org for
more information.
NAAP: A History in Fort Smith
uafs.edu/lifelonglearning
With the recent re-establishment
of a local chapter of the NAACP in
Fort Smith, we asked the Rev. Jerry
Jennings and others to tell us about
the history of the NAACP in the River
Valley. Combined with many recent
anniversaries of historical importance ,
this talk will highlight the contributions
of many African- Americans in the River
Valley. Wednesday, February 19, 2014.
1-2 p.m. $7.00 ECC CRN 6118.
Classic Eateries in the River Valley
uafs.edu/lifelonglearning
In the words of her own blog, Kat
Robinson is a food and travel writer
based in Little Rock. She travels
Arkansas and the South searching for
good stories , tall tales and the next
great little restaurant. She will visit with
us to tell the eateries in our own neck of
the woods. She has written two books,
Arkansas Pie and Classic Eateries
of the Ozarks and Arkansas Valley.
Wednesday, February 26th, 2014. 1-2
p.m. $7.00 ECC CRN: 6119
Eccopartners: Making a Difference
uafs.edu/lifelonglearning
Do you actively recycle? Do you
know where to recycle items such as
paint, batteries and swirly light bulbs?
Let Randy Hall tell you all about
Sebastian County Regional Solid Waste
Management District and Eccopartners
in encouraging you and your neighbors
to effectively recycle. Bring your
questions and learn how to participate in
recyclying efforts in the Arkansas River
Valley. Wednesday, April 2, 2014 1-2
p.m. $7.00 CRN:6123
Simple Computer Fixes
uafs.edu/lifelonglearning
Learn tips and tricks to troubleshoot your
computer and remove viruses. Follow
along in a computer lab as you learn
things you should always do and things
you never do. Watch a demonstration
on how to add memory, replace drives
or add cards.Tuesdays, February 4-25
(4Sessions) 6-8 p.m. $55 CRN:6052 Or
Tuesdays, April 29-May 20 (4 Sessions)
6-8 p.m. $55 CRN 6076
Arkansas Advocates for Children and
Families Soup Sunday
This family-friendly fundraiser helps to
improve the lives of low income kids by
changing public policy. Dozens of local
restaurants donate and guest happily
sample , many varieties of soups,
breads and desserts. For tickets or more
information, please call479 927 9800 or
visit www.aradvocates.org
Members of the Fort Smith Alumnae
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
Incorporated, would like to thank the
community for their support of the Delya
Debutante Project.
Pictured above, members posed for
a picture at the Debutante Cotillion,
December 21, at Golden Living.
Delta’s pictured (L - R) Bennie Mae
Gunn, Kela Peeples, Carolyn Mosley,
Talicia Richardson, Tiffinee Baker
(Chapter President) Yvonne Keaton
Martin, Judy Christain, Emma Watts,
Shirley Lee, Beatrice James, Patricia
Richardson, Rhonda Gray and Allene
Stafford. Olivia Grace Lee also pictured,
(grandaughter of Shirly Lee) began the
event by saying the pledge of aliegence.
MLK MARCH
A symbolic march on the University
of Arkansas - Fort Smith campus
highlighted the Jan. 20 observance of
the life and legacy of the late Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., civil rights leader and
Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
The march, the crowning touch of a
morning of activities sponsored by
UAFS and the Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Association, followed a
breakfast and educational sessions.
Paul B. Beran, UAFS chancellor,
reminded those attending that this was
the third year “of our gathering to break
bread together and reflect.”
To spread the word of happenings
Please call 479 783 68
Fax
479 783 6840
Email [email protected]
PAGE 4
THE LINCOLN ECHO
EDITORIALS
POE’S THOUGHTS
2014
By Napoleon Black
I wonder if in 2014 we can
all agree that our destiny as a
nation will be determined by
how well we work together.
In a democracy the majority,
to be effective must be active
and make our voices heard.
We cannot sit idly by why
our public eduction system is
destroyed.
Politicians yell and scream
about education all the while
taking cutting funds that support the system. Funds are
taken away from so called
poor school districts and given
to students as vouchers, allowing the to attend private
school. We can’t continue to
sit on the sideline and watch
this happen.
A democracy is a participatory form of government. For it
to function as it should we the
people must participate. We
cannot opt out.
We are told consistently
that our schools are poor
and getting worse. Students
from all over the world come
to America and go to those
same schools and excel. So
where is the problem.
Students in around the
world are educated in buildings without adequate seating, school supplies, air conditioning and other things but
when they come to America
for college or post graduate
work they do well.
We must stop blaming the
teachers and look at the students we parents are sending
them. We pride ourselves on
being rugged individualist but
when it comes to the classroom all students are treated
as one. Taught the same,
expected to learn alike, well,
there’s something wrong with
that picture.
Another major problem we
are facing in our democracy
is the scarcity of politicians
that can relate to the general
public.
We have a congress full
of millionaires, the majority
of which have no clue to the
problems concerning the general public. They keep talking
about people pulling themselves up by the bootstraps.
As Dr. King said, ‘it’s a difficult
thing for a man without boots
to pull himself up by his bootstraps.”
First and foremost, when
you take away access to
education you take away the
ability to expand ones hori-
zons. We must insist on funds
for pre kindergarten through
twelfth grade be expanded.
We must insist teachers be
given the latitude to teach the
students their way (all teachers are not alike) as long as
the required subject matter is
covered.
Secondly we adults must
become more politically astute
and active, locally, statewide
and nationally.
We cannot allow continued
repetition of problems solved
fifty years ago. We must
accept their are going to be
disagreements about numerous things but in every disagreement there is common
ground. Meaning problems
can be solved.
All those people who want
to carry guns to church, the
movie, bars, and everywhere
else must wake up. The wild
west is not wild anymore. It
is a fact, over fifty percent of
shootings are committed by
people who were not criminals or diagnosed as mentally unstable but used a gun
because they had it handy.
We must stop the proliferation
of guns. I wasn’t there when
the second amendment was
written but I’m certain the situation now is vastly different,
changing the reason for having the second amendment.
Let’s make 2014 the dawning of togetherness.
AB, KB and D peace.
FEBRUARY
2014
MY VIEW
How Do We Positively Influence The Minds of Our Young
By DeNay Burris
considered. But today, people
How do we get in the
believe it is their right to just
minds of our teenagers
do anything, anywhere. No
and our young adults and
consequences.
try to influence their way
I believe that individuals,
of looking at life? So many
business, nor corporations
of the children of today
should be allowed to tear
have no vision past today?
down society with no
They have no direction. It is
consequences all in the name
almost as though they raised
of capitalism. How is what
themselves, as though they
Wall Street did to this society
have no mother, nor father,
as if they bore themselves
and society is just beginning,
as though there is no past,
as if there is no future, only
the present. What makes me
feel good today and damn
tomorrow. How do we change over
the past decade any different
their perception?
than what the drug dealer
If we want these young
standing on the corner selling
people to change we have to
drugs? They both pillage their
help them. We have to take
time from our busy schedules communities and leave others
left for dead. Oneís legal and
and make the time to help
the other is not.
these young adults to focus
Our young people see
and to see the bigger picture.
all of this and know nothing
And that picture is a brighter
else besides what is right
tomorrow, an opportunity to
achieve goals, an opportunity in front of them, immediate
to make plans, an opportunity self gratification. Everyone
stepping over the next person.
to live instead merely of
Where is the humanity?
existing. And we, meaning
Where is the civility?
society, has to change.
Currently, I am teaching
Society has changed so
at a school. The pledge of
much over the past twenty
years or should I say morality allegiance is recited every
morning over the intercom. has changed. And with that
One nation under God. Liberty
change we are all witnessing
the deteoriation of civilization. and justice for all. Society
hears these passages in
Yes, I said it, morality. And
many instances on a daily
we all know it. I believe in
basis and it still steers toward
equal right for all. I believe
self destruction. This society
that everyone has the right
cannot continue on the
to happiness. And I also
believe that public displays of path that is headed without
affection, whether it be a man demise. One thing is for sure,
if man does not stop it, if our
and a woman or a man and
environment does not stop it,
a man should be something
that is expressed at home. GOD will.
I have said it many, many
Today, at any moment,
times before and I will say it
no telling what you will see.
again, there is such a thing as
Twenty years ago, the things
that happen in todayís society too much freedom.
would have never even been
DUTY & DUTY ATTORNEYS AT LAW
CELEBRATING 102ND ANNIVERSARY 2013
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Lincoln Echo, USPS 240, is published each month at 115 N 10th in
Fort. Smith, Arkansas. Napoleon Black is the Publisher. It is entered as
periodic matter at the USPO in Fort Smith. SUBSCRIPTIONS PER YEAR:
$25 per year nationwide, Single copy $.50 POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to The Lincoln Echo. Our address is P.O. Box 771, Fort
Smith, Arkansas, 72902. Email: [email protected]
Phone: 479-783-6830 Fax: 479-6840
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY - THAT’S ALL WE DO
DAVIS DUTY - FORMER SOCIAL SECURITY JUDGE
Correction Policy
The Lincoln Echo will print corrections of any errors published in the newspaper. The correction will be made ASAP after it has been brought to the
attention of the Echo Staff.
JOHN DUTY - DISABILITY ADVOCATE
The Lincoln Echo
Napoleon Black
Publisher
Allene Stafford
Office Manager
Denay Burris
Advertising Manager
Cecil Greene, Jr
Executive V,P.
Allen, Kenneth & DeVaughn Black Inspiration
“The Voice That Brings the Community Together”
Established June, 1992
479-785-3889
Toll Free 877-785-3889
909 SOUTH 20TH STREET
Fort Smith, AR 72901
FEBRUARY
2014
NEWS & COMMENTARY
AN EDUCATOR’S
POINT OF VIEW
Event Complex Planned to Serve Schools and Community
Benny L. Gooden
be provided while realizing
Superintendent
the economy of shared site
of Public Schools
development, drainage and
Fort Smith, AR
other amenities. The location
Most of the discussion
of this complex has not yet
regarding planned school
been determined as the Board
facilities has focused on
the addition of a third high
school to be located at
Chaffee Crossing and grade
reconfiguration involving
moving ninth grade to all
three high schools to create
space at junior high schools
as well. While this ambitious
plan advanced by the Board
of Education following several
years of growth supports
expansion in the future, an
additional high school does
not address other districtof Education is studying the
wide needs. In this context,
cost and advantages various
the Board of Education has
sites present. Whatever the
endorsed planning for an
location, the interest in quality
event complex to support all
facilities which can be shared
schools in the community with by all schools tops the list of
space for large presentations. key considerations listed by
Plans for an event complex
the Board.
include a performing arts
School buildings designed
center to accommodate
to serve the instructional
performances by musical
needs of Fort Smith students
and theatre groups from all
far into the future are
secondary schools. Some
among the top priorities the
existing campuses are
community has considered
fortunate enough to have
for many years. Northside
small auditoriums. However,
High School opened in 1928
none are equipped to support while Southside High School
performers or audiences so
celebrated 50 years in 2013.
as to allow for a first-rate
Other schools have similar
venue in which the excellence ages. It is likely that an
of student musicians and
additional high school would
thespians can be fully enjoyed serve future generations
by parents and community.
far into the future and as
Anyone who has attended
such will contribute to the
a presentation by one of the
economic viability of the
outstanding music groups can community. An important point
attest to the inadequacy of
of consideration for the Board
current facilities.
of Education has been the
Another local need which is
need to make plans now to
often the topic of discussion
support Fort Smith students
is a venue to accommodate
for decades to come.
indoor sports events in
Quality event facilities
up-to-date facilities. The
represented by a performance
limitations on quality seating
venue for the arts and an
and other amenities make
arena-type center for sports
perennial state contenders
and other large events will
in basketball and volleyball
position the Fort Smith
compete in facilities which are schools and community to
not comparable to many other compare favorably to other
schools. Other large events
great communities as a
such as graduations which are destination for state and
affected by seasonal weather
regional events. Although the
conditions cannot currently
planned facilities are primarily
be accommodated in indoor
for school use, like all school
comfort with adequate seating facilities, they will complement
for graduates and their
other community venues to
families.
support the many events
By planning for two event
which may come to Fort
facilities to be located on
Smith. Community venues
one site, street access and
serving schools and the public
adequate parking—in limited
can make Fort Smith a great
supply at all campuses—can
destination far into the future. I believe in the brotherhood of man,
all men, but I don’t believe in brotherhood
with anybody who doesn’t want brotherhood
with me. I believe in treating people right,
but I’m not going to waste my time trying
THE LINCOLN ECHO PAGE 5
GREETINGS FROM
THE MAYOR
Congratulations! Everyone
involved in planning and
executing the MLK celebration
activities did a great job. Bruce WadeÖthank you for
your leadership and the
time you invested in making
things happen the right way. Deborah WoodardÖthe
parade this year was bigger
and better than ever, and
I know you are already
planning to top it in 2015.
Activities like the parade,
banquet, breakfast and
all the related activities
do not just ìhappen.î It
takes time, dedication and
leadershipÖand lots of other
volunteers. When work
begins on the celebration next
year I encourage more people
to pitch in and help.
Fort Smith is a great
ìvolunteerî cityÖand for
the 15th time and the ninth
consecutive year, Fort Smith
was named an Arkansas
Volunteer Community of
the Year for 2013. And
the volunteers for the MLK
activities play a key role in
that.
Another group of volunteers
is now working to make the
entire month of May the
Western Heritage Month in
Fort Smith. While the Old
Fort Days Rodeo and Barrel
Futurity have long been
a major event at the end
of each May, this group of
volunteers is now working to
have activities throughout the
entire month.
And, another group of
volunteers is beginning work
to plan the celebration of
Fort Smithís 200th birthday in
2017. If you would like to be
a part of this, please call the
Mayorís office, 784-2204.
LIFE LESSONS FROM
Dr. MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr.
By Senator Mark Pryor
On April 4, 1968, I was
just six years old, but I knew
something in our world had
changed. Because, just
down the road in Memphis,
Tennessee, our nationís
beloved civil rights hero,
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
had been assassinated.
Growing up, I developed
a strong interest in history,
especially the civil rights
movementówhich blossomed
further while attending Little
Rock Central High School.
This curiosity encouraged
me to delve deeper into Dr.
Kingís life and his far-reaching
impact on our country. And,
every year, as the King
Holiday nears, I take the
opportunity to reflect on the
lessons he taught me.
ï Working Together: ìWe
must learn to live together as
brothers or perish together as
fools.î
ï Perseverance: ìHuman
progress is neither automatic
nor inevitable... Every step
toward the goal of justice
requires sacrifice, suffering,
and struggle; the tireless
exertions and passionate
concern of dedicated
individuals.î
ï Service: ìLife’s most
persistent and urgent question
is, ‘What are you doing for
others?’î
ï Love: ìWe must develop
and maintain the capacity to
forgive. He who is devoid of
the power to forgive is devoid
of the power to love.î
One of the greatest lessons
I learned from Dr. King came
from his speech when he
accepted the Nobel Peace
Prize. He said: “We have
inherited a big house, a great
ëworld houseí in which we
have to live together - black
and white, Easterners and
WesternersÖa family unduly
separated in ideas, culture,
and interests who, because
we can never again live
without each other, must
learn, somehow, in this
one big world, to live with
each other.î Despite all the
progress weíve made since
Dr. Kingís death, our world
often still thinks in divisions.
Democrat versus Republican,
rural versus urban, male
versus femaleóthe list goes on
and on. As we celebrate the
King Holiday, I hope weíll take
Dr. Kingís life lessons to heart
and work together to make
our world a better place. to treat somebody right who doesn’t
Our lives begin to end the day
know how to return the treatment.
Malcolm X
c
we become silent about things that matter.
MLK
PAGE 6 THE LINCOLN ECHO
HERITAGE
FEBRUARY
2014
JAMES WILLIAM WRICE FAMILY
Researched by
Tonia Holleman
Since we are all interested in Lincoln
High School and have fond memories
of the days spent there, I decided to
research one of the faculty members,
William S. Wrice.
James William Wrice was born 1850 in
Anderson County, South Carolina, and
died May 28, 1928 in Sebastian County,
Arkansas. He married Sophronia
Castleberry 1868 in Anderson County,
South Carolina, daughter of Jonathan
and Letta Castleberry. Sophronia was
born 1855 in Anderson County, South
Carolina, and died February 07, 1936 in
Crawford County, Arkansas.
James and Sophronia Wrice were
parents of 10 children, all born in South
Carolina.
Mary Wrice was born 1871 in Anderson
County, South Carolina around the Rock
Mills Township.
Mamie Wrice was born 1872 in
Anderson County, South Carolina and
came with her family to Crawford County,
Arkansas around 1890. Mamie married
Benjamin Frank Johnson on December
11, 1890 in Crawford County, Arkansas.
Benjamin Frank Johnson was born
1873 in McMinn County, Tennessee and
died in Kansas City, Missouri. Mamie’s
second marriage was to Arthur W.
Flannigan on September 01, 1932 in
Sebastian County, Arkansas. Mamie did
not have any children.
Nora Wrice was born 1873 in Anderson
County, South Carolina. She married
William Mulwee around 1896 in South
Carolina. William was born March 06,
1878 in Anderson County. The couple
followed the Wrice family later and
arrived in Van Buren, Crawford County,
Arkansas around 1905. Nora and
William were parents of 5 children. Their
first child was Mary Maggie Mulwee born
February 16, 1900, in Oconee County,
South Carolina. Nora’s first marriage was
to Charlie Banks on August 23, 1916.
Her second marriage was to Henry
Mayes on August 04, 1920 in Van Buren,
Crawford County, Arkansas. Henry was
born November 25, 1897 in Crawford
County. The second child of Nora and
William Mulwee was Harold Mulwee born
July 20, 1914 in Van Buren. Harmon
Mulwee was born February 16, 1918 in
Van Buren. Norman Gene Mulwee was
born in 1923 and Frances in 1926.
Essie Wrice was born 1874 in South
Carolina. She married G. A. Griffin in
Sebastian County, Arkansas. Essie did
not have any children.
Sallie Wrice was born 1877 in
Anderson County, South Carolina and
remained there. Sallie married Newton
Williams. They had four children, Lena,
Lillie, Nora and Carl. In 1910 Sallie was
living with her parents in Van Buren and
listed as a widow and her four children
were with her.
James Wrice Jr. was born 1886 in
Anderson County, South Carolina, and
died in Oklahoma in 1962. James
married Evelyn Alston, daughter of Perry
Buel and Martha Alston. James and
Evelyn were parents of two children, a
son, Elvin, and a daughter, Willie Mae
Wrice.
The seventh child of James and
Sophronia Wrice was Mattie Wrice.
Mattie was born February 28, 1887 in
Anderson County, South Carolina, and
died March 18, 1976 in Van Buren,
Crawford County, Arkansas. Her first
marriage was to Floyd Farris Howell on
June 22, 1907 in Crawford County. Floyd
was the son of Charles Howell and Della
Allen. Floyd was born May 13, 1889 in
Crawford County and died October 06,
1950 in Crawford County, Arkansas.
Mattie married the second time to
Samuel Willie Walker West on October
17, 1910 in Crawford County, Arkansas.
He was the son of George and Sarah
West. Samuel was born August 22, 1882
in Lincoln, Washington County, Arkansas,
and died November 16, 1975 in
Sebastian County, Arkansas. Mattie and
Samuel Willie had one daughter, Frances
West. Frances was born December 17,
1916 in Crawford County, Arkansas.
She married Amos Malone. Amos was
born July 10, 1904 in Alabama and died
February 19, 1979. Frances attended
Mallalieu United Methodist Church in Fort
Smith, Arkansas. Later, she transferred
her Church membership to Mount Olive
United Methodist Church in Van Buren.
She remained at Mount Olive until her
death. She was the widow of Amos
Malone who preceded her in death.
Frances departed this life September
26, 1983 in Van Buren, Arkansas. Amos
and Frances are both buried at Fairview
Cemetery, Van Buren, Arkansas.
Jessie Wrice was born 1888 in
Anderson County, South Carolina. She
appeared on one census and then did
not appear any more living with the
family.
William Swaim Wrice was born June
29, 1894 in South Carolina and died May
14, 1982 in Van Buren, Crawford County,
Arkansas. He was a member of Mount
Olive M. E. Church of Van Buren. He
went to college in Kansas and returned
to Fort Smith to become a teacher. He
was a gifted musician who taught at both
AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHERS
January 7, 2014 editorial from The St.
Louis Post Dispatch
It turns out that the loathsome
stereotype about African-Americans and
disengaged fatherhood is really just a
loathsome stereotype.
A new myth-busting federal study has
the data to prove it. The study shows not
only that fathers of all races increasingly
are involved with their children, but that
black fathers who live with their young
children are more likely to bathe, diaper
and dress them than white or Latino
fathers who live with their children.
Seventy percent of black fathers who
live with their kids help them with the
daily functions of life, compared with 60
percent of white and 45 percent of Latino
dads, reports theNational Center for
Health Statistics, an arm of the Centers
for Disease Control.
When it comes to other activities, such
as reading to their young children daily,
35 percent of black fathers do that,
compared with 30 percent of white and
22 percent of Latino dads.
Black fathers also scored high marks
when the study looked at fathers who
live apart from their children. The report
showed that among fathers who did not
live with their older children, more than
half said they talked to their children
about their day several times a week or
more.
That was a higher percentage than
white or Latino fathers who lived apart
from their older children.
The survey included data collected from
3,928 fathers ages 15 to 44 between
2006 and 2010. It provided what is
considered to be a trove of information
that sets high standards for future
fatherhood studies.
The study said that in many cases,
there is no statistical significance in the
differences between fathers of all races.
It’s odd that it’s noteworthy when a study
finds black fathers who live with their
children are just as involved — maybe
more so — than other dads who live
with their kids. This really shouldn’t be a
surprise.
But measured against frequent cultural
portrayals of black dads as deadbeats,
drunks, drug addicts or worse, data that
defy such stereotypes are important.
The concern about black fathers’
involvement with their children is related
to the unfortunate fact that black dads
are more likely than fathers of other
races to live apart from one of more of
their children. One in six fathers lives
apart from his children, the study found.
Regardless of race, fathers are likely to
If a man is called to be a streetsweeper,
he should sweep streets even as
Michelangelo painted, or
Beethoven composed music,
or Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth
will pause to say,
here lived a great streetsweeper
who did his job well.
Martin Luther King Jr.
be less involved in the daily lives of their
children if they do not live with them.
The study provides more reasons to
try to find ways for black dads to live
in homes with their children, leading to
more stable families and communities.
One thing that would help is to find ways
to keep black men out of the criminal
justice system. TheU.S. Bureau of
Justice Statistics estimates that one in
three black men can expect to go to
prison during his lifetime. And while it’s
tough for any ex-offender to find a good
job, it’s particularly tough for black men
coming out of prison.
The racial disparity in the federal prison
system, the size of the system itself
and its rapid growth are startling. The
prison population grew by 700 percent
from 1970 to 2005, outpacing crime and
population rates. There are about 2.3
million people incarcerated, with black
and Latino men far more likely to be
inside than white men. One in every 15
black men is incarcerated, compared
with one of every 36 Latino men and one
of every 106 white men.
Regardless of what race they are,
families need fathers. Society is wellserved by finding ways to keep dads at
home.
Where justice is denied,
where poverty is enforced,
where ignorance prevails,
and where any one class is made to feel
that society is an organized conspiracy
to oppress, rob and degrade them,
neither persons nor property will be safe.
Frederick Douglass
FEBRUARY
2014
NEWS & COMMENTARY
THE LINCOLN ECHO PAGE 7
REMAINING AWAKE THROUGH A GREAT REVOLUTION
While reading a speech of Dr, Kings
on his birthday I was sruck by the
relevance of the subject matter today.
I am using what I considered the most
relavant parts of the speech insteard
of the speech in its/ entieity. I hope
you find this as enjoyable as I did.
Pubisher
Dr. King said “ I am sure that most
of you have read that arresting little
story from the pen of Washington Irving
entitled “Rip Van Winkle.” The one thing
that we usually remember about the
story is that Rip Van Winkle slept twenty
years. But there is another point in that
little story that is almost completely
overlooked. It was the sign in the end,
from which Rip went up in the mountain
for his long sleep.
When Rip Van Winkle went up into the
mountain, the sign had a picture of King
George the Third of England. When he
came down twenty years later the sign
had a picture of George Washington, the
first president of the United States. When
Rip Van Winkle looked up at the picture
of George Washington—and looking at
the picture he was amazed—he was
completely lost. He knew not who he
was.
And this reveals to us that the most
striking thing about the story of Rip
Van Winkle is not merely that Rip slept
twenty years, but that he slept through
a revolution. While he was peacefully
snoring up in the mountain a revolution
was taking place that at points would
change the course of history—and Rip
knew nothing about it. He was asleep.
Yes, he slept through a revolution. And
one of the great liabilities of life is that all
too many people find themselves living
amid a great period of social change, and
yet they fail to develop the new attitudes,
the new mental responses, that the new
situation demands. They end up sleeping
through a revolution.
There can be no gainsaying of the
fact that a great revolution is taking
place in the world today. In a sense
it is a triple revolution: that is, a
technological revolution, with the impact
of automation and cybernation; then
there is a revolution in weaponry, with
the emergence of atomic and nuclear
weapons of warfare; then there is a
human rights revolution, with the freedom
explosion that is taking place all over the
world. Yes, we do live in a period where
changes are taking place. And there is
still the voice crying through the vista of
time saying, “Behold, I make all things
new; former things are passed away.”
Now whenever anything new comes into
history it brings with it new challenges
and new opportunities. And I would like
to deal with the challenges that we face
today as a result of this triple revolution
that is taking place in the world today.
No individual can live alone, no nation
can live alone, and anyone who feels
that he can live alone is sleeping through
a revolution. The world in which we live
is geographically one. The challenge that
we face today is to make it one in terms
of brotherhood.
Now it is true that the geographical
oneness of this age has come into being
to a large extent through modern man’s
scientific ingenuity. Modern man through
his scientific genius has been able to
dwarf distance and place time in chains.
And our jet planes have compressed into
minutes distances that once took weeks
and even months. All of this tells us that
our world is a neighborhood.
Through our scientific and
technological genius, we have made of
this world a neighborhood and yet we
have not had the ethical commitment to
make of it a brotherhood. But somehow,
and in some way, we have got to do
this. We must all learn to live together
as brothers or we will all perish together
as fools. We are tied together in the
single garment of destiny, caught in an
inescapable network of mutuality. And
whatever affects one directly affects all
indirectly. For some strange reason I
can never be what I ought to be until you
are what you ought to be. And you can
never be what you ought to be until I am
what I ought to be. This is the way God’s
universe is made; this is the way it is
structured.
John Donne caught it years ago and
placed it in graphic terms: “No man is
an island entire of itself. Every man is
a piece of the continent, a part of the
main.” And he goes on toward the end
to say, “Any man’s death diminishes
me because I am involved in mankind;
therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” We must
see this, believe this, and live by it if we
are to remain awake through a great
revolution.
Secondly, we are challenged to
eradicate the last vestiges of racial
injustice from our nation. I must say this
morning that racial injustice is still the
black man’s burden and the white man’s
shame.
It is an unhappy truth that racism is a
way of life for the vast majority of white
Americans, spoken and unspoken,
acknowledged and denied, subtle and
sometimes not so subtle—the disease
of racism permeates and poisons a
whole body politic. And I can see nothing
more urgent than for America to work
passionately and unrelentingly—to get rid
of the disease of racism.
Something positive must be done.
Everyone must share in the guilt as
individuals and as institutions. The
government must certainly share the
guilt; individuals must share the guilt;
even the church must share the guilt.
We must face the sad fact that at eleven
o’clock on Sunday morning when we
stand to sing “In Christ there is no
East or West,” we stand in the most
segregated hour of America.
The hour has come for everybody, for
all institutions of the public sector and the
private sector to work to get rid of racism.
And now if we are to do it we must
honestly admit certain things and get
rid of certain myths that have constantly
been disseminated all over our nation.
One is the myth of time. It is the notion
that only time can solve the problem of
racial injustice. And there are those who
often sincerely say to the Negro and his
allies in the white community, “Why don’t
you slow up? Stop pushing things so
fast. Only time can solve the problem.
And if you will just be nice and patient
and continue to pray, in a hundred or two
hundred years the problem will work itself
out.”
There is an answer to that myth. It is
that time is neutral. It can be used wither
constructively or destructively. And I
am sorry to say this morning that I am
absolutely convinced that the forces of
ill will in our nation, the extreme rightists
of our nation—the people on the wrong
side—have used time much more
effectively than the forces of goodwill.
And it may well be that we will have to
repent in this generation. Not merely for
the vitriolic words and the violent actions
of the bad people, but for the appalling
silence and indifference of the good
people who sit around and say, “Wait on
time.”
Somewhere we must come to see that
human progress never rolls in on the
wheels of inevitability. It comes through
the tireless efforts and the persistent
work of dedicated individuals who
are willing to be co-workers with God.
And without this hard work, time itself
becomes an ally of the primitive forces of
social stagnation. So we must help time
and realize that the time is always ripe to
do right.
Now there is another myth that still
gets around: it is a kind of over reliance
on the bootstrap philosophy. There are
those who still feel that if the Negro is to
rise out of poverty, if the Negro is to rise
out of the slum conditions, if he is to rise
out of discrimination and segregation, he
must do it all by himself. And so they say
the Negro must lift himself by his own
bootstraps.
They never stop to realize that no
other ethnic group has been a slave
on American soil. The people who say
this never stop to realize that the nation
made the black man’s color a stigma. But
beyond this they never stop to realize the
debt that they owe a people who were
kept in slavery two hundred and fortyfour years.
In 1863 the Negro was told that he
was free as a result of the Emancipation
Proclamation being signed by Abraham
Lincoln. But he was not given any land
to make that freedom meaningful. It was
something like keeping a person in prison for
a number of years and suddenly discovering
that that person is not guilty of the crime for
which he was convicted. And you just go up
to him and say, “Now you are free,” but you
don’t give him any bus fare to get to town.
You don’t give him any money to get some
clothes to put on his back or to get on his
feet again in life.
Every court of jurisprudence would rise
up against this, and yet this is the very thing
that our nation did to the black man. It simply
said, “You’re free,” and it left him there
penniless, illiterate, not knowing what to do.
And the irony of it all is that at the same time
the nation failed to do anything for the black
man, though an act of Congress was giving
away millions of acres of land in the West
and the Midwest. Which meant that it was
willing to undergird its white peasants from
Europe with an economic floor.
But not only did it give the land, it built
land-grant colleges to teach them how to
farm. Not only that, it provided county agents
to further their expertise in farming; not only
that, as the years unfolded it provided low
interest rates so that they could mechanize
their farms. And to this day thousands of
these very persons are receiving millions
of dollars in federal subsidies every years
not to farm. And these are so often the very
people who tell Negroes that they must lift
themselves by their own bootstraps. It’s all
right to tell a man to lift himself by his own
bootstraps, but it is a cruel jest to say to a
bootless man that he ought to lift himself by
his own bootstraps.
We must come to see that the roots of
racism are very deep in our country, and
there must be something positive and
massive in order to get rid of all the
effects of racism and the tragedies of
racial injustice.
PAGE 8 THE LINCOLN ECHO
LOCAL NEWS
OBITUARIES
by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
13
Marian G. Sprawling
Claudette J. Reese
2
Lakeshia Brashier
Candace Brown
David H. Parish
LeSean Smith
Chivas Merriweather
15
Rhonda Hamm
3
Alfred Hayes
Harry Phillips, Jr.
Sharon Kay Roberts
18
Leonard Youngblood
Cecely Rene White
4
Rashard Howard
Chelsea Rouser
Still I Rise
2014
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
1
Rosie M. Whitley Christor
Rosalyn Moore was born August 2, 1920 to the late Samuel and
Emma Moore. Rose accepted Christ at an early age. She was a member of St. John’s Baptist Church NY, NY.
Rose married Scipio “Skip” Moore, the love of her life, in 1944.
Rosalyn and Scipio did everything together. They loved spending
time with family, friends and their lodge members.
Rosalyn lived in New York her whole life until she moved to Blackwell, Arkansas later in life with her nephew and niece, Tim and Eatha
Williams.
Past Matron Rosalyn Moore was initiated into Joppa Chapter #30
of the Eastern Star in the late 1950’s. She was very devoted to her
chapter. Rose held several stations and was elected Worth Matron in
December 1970, serving the position with the highest distinction.
Rose leaves to mourn: her cousin Sarah Wells (Seattle), Godson
Jovan Zow (New York) and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
FEBRUARY
5
Terri Smith Carter
Nathan E. Parish
6
Jarn Davis
Thurlyn Arnold
Robay Brown-Stroble
8
Gregory Barker
Jermaine Williams
9
Tonia Citizen
10
Mary Johnson
D. Alexander Parish
Yvonne K. Martin
11
Marion Williams
17
LaMonica Burnett
Evelyn Thomas
20
Bobby D. Brown
Debbie D. Williams
21
Fregina Jones
Tammy J. Dean
Terry Harris
22
David Carl Deas
23
Jeffrey Williams
Mary Jones Booth
24
Arthur G. Lofton Sr.
John Andrews Woods 111
Oscar Cole, Jr.
Martha Ward
25
Carliss Cole
Nina Phillips Nelson
Javont’e Barnum
26
Veronica Selman
12
Darlene Keaton Lee
Irene Thompson
Lacrea D. Wilson
Marcus M. Brogdon
Selena Stroble
27
Jesse Barker
Kenneth Broomfield Sr.
Marleice Mobley
28
Emory Carter
Maude West
He who passively accepts evil
is as much involved in it
as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil
without protesting against
it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
FEBRUARY
POLITICS
2014
SENATOR BOOZMAN’S
COLUMN
SMOKE FREE COALITION PRESENTATION
The Mission Against Tobacco (MAT) Program at Mission
United Methodist Church hosted an informational presentation
in January to local church representatives about the “40 Days
To Freedom” Program. The “40 Days To Freedom” Program is a six-week tobacco
cessation course where each week participants are educated
about tobacco use and are guided through a spiritual journey
towards a tobacco free life style. The program will be held at
Mission United Church.
For more information please contact Mission United Methodist
Church at 479-0612.
PAGE 9
GOVERNOR BEEBE’S
COLUMN
The members of the
Arkansas General Assembly
help others. From serving on a
return to the Capitol in
student council, to participating
February for the 2014 Fiscal
in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, to Session. This will be the
volunteering with an organization third such session since
they care about, their interest
voters changed the Arkansas
and hard work will be greatly
Constitution in the 2008
appreciated and they will learn a
election. Only budget bills
lot while developing
are considered when the
leadership skills.
Legislature convenes, making
Students interested
it a quicker and
in public service
less expensive
should also consider
undertaking
registering for the
than the regular
Congressional
sessions that
Award program. This occur in oddprestigious award
numbered years.
is the highest
For the first
honor given to
time, I am
young Americans by Congress
considering
and is open to all 14 to 23
giving support
year olds. Young people are
to a legislative
challenged to set goals and
effort that would propose one
carry through in public service,
policy-related bill to change
personal development and
an existing law. Lawmakers
physical fitness and expedition or are currently discussing a
exploration. Participants achieve vote to give any governor
recognition based on the goals
more discretion regarding
they set and accomplish and are
special elections when there
awarded different certificates and is a vacancy in the Lieutenant
medals based on their level of
Governor’s Office, as we
involvement.
appear to be facing next
As one Arkansan who earned
month.
the Congressional Award Gold
Regardless, the vast
Medal said, the program taught
majority of the fiscal session
him to not give up and continue
will be spent on Arkansas’s
working toward his goals.
budget. Legislative budget
He said the path to achieve
hearings are already under
this top honor was rewarding
way, and this week the
because he met new people and
Department of Finance and
learned new skills, all while
Administration presented my
giving back to the community.
proposed balanced budget
The Congressional Award is a
for the next fiscal year, which
great resource that fosters the
runs from July to June.
growth of democratic values and And whatever budget the
challenges young Americans
Legislature approves this
to better themselves. We can
session will take effect this
be proud of the Arkansans who
summer.
undertake this initiative and
My proposed budget is
their commitment to achieving
very similar to the numbers
the goals they set. More details
projected for Fiscal Year 2015
can be found on the website
before last year’s regular
www.congressionalaward.org or
session. Some changes have
contact one of my state offices
been made as the State’s
and we can provide you with
needs have changed over the
more information. past year. The most notable of
As we honor those elected to
these involves our Corrections
serve in the White House this
system. Recent changes in
Presidents Day, we are reminded our parole-and-probation
of the sacrifice and courage of the procedures have put a lot
people like Washington who laid more people back behind
the foundation for our country
bars, and of course it costs
and those who strive to make
money to keep them there. I
the world a better place today.
have proposed increases to
Building a better tomorrow
open 300 more prison beds,
begins with cultivating the young as well as to ensure that
minds that will lead our country
counties are compensated
to a successful future.
Becoming Involved
Every month I receive emails
and letters from students across
the state with questions about
government or opinions on
issues they care about. We’re
blessed to have young Arkansans
who are interested in making
the world a better
place and I enjoy
hearing from them.
These letters are a
wonderful reminder
of the impact of every
decision made by our
elected leaders. In
addition, they often
draw me back to the
very basics of our
government, why I believe the
things that I do and why I went
into public service in the first
place.
Last month I heard from
Alianna and Rylee, two 4th
graders who both asked which
U.S. President I admire the
most and why. That is a serious
question, since we have had so
many great leaders throughout
our nation’s history. I wrote
back to Alianna and Rylee that
my favorite president is George
Washington. I’m often reminded
of his great contributions as
I walk through the Capitol.
Statues and paintings of our
first president line the Capitol
Rotunda and the ceiling features
“The Apotheosis of Washington”,
a painting that depicts how
revered the president was.
Washington knew the
importance of hard work at an
early age and persevered through
the hardships he faced, from the
death of his father to the lack of
schooling. He carried his work
ethic with him throughout his
life. No job was too small for
him and he took every advantage
to learn a new skill. He was a
successful surveyor, entrepreneur
and military leader and set a
precedent for our nation’s top
leader. In addition to historic
questions, the other frequent
question I get from students
involves how they can get
involved, visit Washington, or
become president themselves.
I am happy to tell them that
there is no secret to becoming a
participant in the community and
government. They just need to
raise their hand and volunteer, or
look around for opportunities to
THE LINCOLN ECHO
for the increasing numbers of
inmates they house.
In education, foundation
funding will increase again
by two percent to keep pace
with adequacy requirements,
and, as promised, we are
moving some monies to
bolster the public-school
employee insurance plan. For
our colleges and universities,
I’ve included
targeted, needbased increases
to growing
campuses in
hopes of slowing
tuition increases
for our students
and their families.
The most
talked-about
part of the
budget remains funding for
the Department of Human
Services. The Arkansas
Private Option has become
a national model for states
seeking flexibility under the
Affordable Care Act. It has
already brought insurance
coverage to more than
77,000 Arkansans, with tens
of thousands more soon
to qualify. It has attracted
younger people to our
insurance exchange, a
necessity to keep insurance
affordable in the future. The
anticipated influx of federal
funds will save an estimated
$89 million for our State in the
next fiscal year. However, the
funding for the Private Option
must be re-approved by
three-quarters of the General
Assembly. While the benefits
to our people, hospitals
and communities are clear,
ideological differences will
again make it a close vote.
If the Private Option fails,
many Arkansans will lose their
health care, and tough cuts
will need to be decided for
other state services, as well.
This is all a process of
conflict and compromise that
always ends with Arkansas
achieving its mandated
balanced budget. Our
Revenue Stabilization Act
is the envy of other states,
and will again ensure that
we emerge from the Fiscal
Session with a responsible
budget for the coming fiscal
year. ECHO SALUTES ELECTED AND APPOINTED
GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIALS
As a part of Black History Month The Linclon Echo Salutes
Fort Smith’s Black elected and appointed state, county and city
officials. The list includes: State Representative George Billy
McGill, Arkansas National Heritage Commission, Curtis Adams,
Jr., Arkansas Sentencing Commission, Alvin Bradley, Arkansas
Law Enforcement Standards and Training Commission, Cecil M.
Greene, Jr., Sebastian County Clerk, Sharon Brooke, Donald Carter
and Rhonda Royal, Sebastian County Election Commissioner,
Rita Howard, City Board of Directors, Andre Good, City Sanitation Director, Baridi Nkokheli, City of Fort Smith School Board member,
Yvonne Keaton Martin, City Parks and Recreation Commission,,
Sherry Tolivar and Chris Chaney, City Housing Commission, Barbara
Meadows, Fort Smith Comprehensive Plan Stering Committee,
Sherry Toviver, Dr. Leroy Cox and Rev. U. C. Washington.
If there are others in the above categories please let us know and
they will be acknowlegded in our next edition.
PAGE 10 THE LINCOLN ECHO
HERITAGE
FEBRUARY
2014
Black Migration: One Family’s Journey After Reconstruction
Brenda Cox wrote about her family
for the Heritage Column in this monthís
issue of the Lincoln Echo. Thanks
Brenda for this article.
Tonia Holleman
The Roberts
By Brenda Cox
This is only one family’s story which is
perhaps indicative of many families who
gained their freedom from slavery; to
celebrate the hope of new beginning at
the start of Reconstruction but to faced
overwhelming oppression at its end; to
face fear as they migrated in search of
new opportunities but to finally come out
as survivors.
My great-great grandmother, Lucinda
was born into slavery on a plantation
somewhere in Georgia in 1834. It was
said she was of Malagasy ancestry, a
people who lived in Madagascar, off the
southwest coast of Africa. Her known
family consisted of a son, Ephraim who
was born in 1854. Lucinda and Ephraim
spent their days picking cotton in their
ownerís fields and on occasion Lucinda
worked as a domestic in and around the
house. When slavery ended in 1865, Lucinda
was 31 and Ephraim was nine years old. The Reconstruction era that followed
the war, was seen as a period of hope
and opportunities for the once enslaved
African Americans.
Laws were being passed to protect
the newly freed men and women
and ìReconstruction amendmentsî
(as they were called) were added to
the Constitution (13th, 14th and 15th)
which legally proclaimed the end of
slaveholding in the US; ensured black
participation in the political processes
and equal rights under the laws of the
land. Some of freedmen and women
immediately left for cities and states
in the North where they hoped to find
jobs and a better life but most like
Lucinda decided to remain in the south. Georgia, despite being the place of her
enslavement, was homeÖ she had family
ties there. In recent years she had
married and given birth to a second son.
However hopes for new lives and
opportunities in southern states such as
Georgia was quickly dashed once the
cost of the war was finally realized. The
Union forces which had invaded Georgiaí
cities and plantations left in their path
destroyed towns, homes and crops. Economic woes and threats of impending
poverty was now a reality not only for the
average citizen but increasingly among
the rich as well. Once prosperous farmers who could
no longer depend on free slave labor
now found themselves unable to hire and
pay workers a steady wage. Despite
the laws designed to help them, the
newly freed blacks were faced with little
or no opportunities to acquire the work
necessary to feed, provide shelter and
other necessities for their families. In order to staid off financial ruin , many
plantation and farm owners decided
to divide their land into parcels and
rent them to tenant farmers who would
grow and harvested the crops for the
owners in exchange for a monetary
percentage of the proceeds from crop
sales as well as food and shelter. Freed
men and women like Lucinda, Nelson
and Ephraim who did not have the
financial means to rent land, hired on as itinerant sharecroppers who moved from
plantation to plantation to help harvest
crops in exchange for temporary shelter,
food and wages. This system proved to
be a saving grace for all involved.
In the years that followed Lucinda took
on work as a domestic, laundress and
midwife to help support the family. Her
husband Nelson, sons Ephraim and John
continue working as farm laborers and
sharecroppers. Each making meager but
sustaining wages.
many southern blacks had heard of
opportunities to own land in the west.
Those who made this trek were called
ìExodustersî and settled in places
such as Kansas, Oklahoma (the Indian
Territories), Texas and Arizona. They
made a conscious effort to save their
money for the trip ahead.
In the spring of 1887, the families arrived
in Alma, Arkansas situated 13 miles away
from the Oklahoma border. They like
many other blacks who migrated during
the late 1880ís to escape the oppression
of the deep south, found the same
resentments and obstacles ever present
wherever they settled, even in the north.
They trained themselves to tread lightly
and obey the rules of the day in order to
survive.
For the Roberts and Boatwright
families settling in the rural and isolated
area of Arkansas proved to be rewarding.
They were able to secure a small parcel
of land to farm, build a house there and
live a somewhat peaceful life. With their
experience as farm labors, they were
able to grow crops to sell and raise farm
animals. By the early to mid1900ís they had
acquired 40 acres of land which was
used for pastures and crops. At times
they made money by renting pasture
space to neighboring farms and
slaughtering hogs for local farmers.
Ephraimís and Bettieís family grew as
well. By 1906 they were the parents of
13 children.
Lucinda, Nelson and their son, John
remained an intricate part of the family,
continuing to live and work on the farm. In 1904, Ephraim along with G. Fuller,
the black owner of a neighboring farm,
But as the end of reconstruction neared paid the total of $2 to the Van Buren
an increased resentment and hostility school district to purchase land to build
grew towards black men and women which a small schoolhouse for the growing
lead to attempts to strike down many of community of black children. [The School
the legislative gains which favored the was called Shibley.]
In the years preceding and during
civil rights of the African American. New
World
War I, some of the older Roberts
laws known as ìJim Crowî laws were
passed throughout the south with the sole children taking their parents earlier lead
purpose of restricting and denying Black left Arkansas migrating further North
peopleís economic, political and social to places like Missouri, Kansas and
rights. The emergence of such groups Michigan and further west to California
as the Klu Klux Klan served to terrorize to find jobs and new opportunities. Some
Blacks into more submissive roles thru elected to stay in Arkansas. Ephraim died in 1929, leaving behind
threats and violence. his 13 children, and his mother Lucinda.
It was under these constant pressures
His wife, Bettie had preceded him in
and fear that Blacks who had once
resisted migrating out of the South began death 10 years earlier. He was 74. to leave. Ephraim was now married and Lucinda, who had survived
a father to 6 children and like most black approximately 31 years as a slave, died
men feared for his family safety in these
in 1937 at the age of 103. Her husband
trouble times. So, it was in 1886, nearly
and son had preceded her in death. 21 years after the end of slavery that
While the original owners and their
Lucinda and Ephraimís families finally
children has passed on, the land they
decided it was time to pursue a better life brought and farmed so many years
outside of Georgia. ago remain in the Roberts family heirs
For the extended family, the decision
possession to this day.
was to go west. In recent years
FEBRUARY
2014
HERITAGE
THE LINCOLN ECHO
PAGE 11
MOLLIE STEVENSON JR
Researched by
Napoleon Black
On Almeda Road about five miles south
of Reliant Stadium, beyond the roar of
610, beyond warehouses and small
industries, beyond the Tweety Bird Motel
and a grimy oil depot, is one of the most
historic ranches in Texas.
It’s nothing like the mighty King Ranch
or the 6666, to be sure, but the modest,
little Taylor-Stevenson spread, about 640
acres, can boast more than a century
and a half of history - history I’m not sure
you’ll find duplicated anywhere else.
Mollie Stevenson Jr., the ranch’s regal
matriarch, is a former model and the
first living African-American member along with her mother, Mollie Stevenson
Sr. - of the National Cowgirl Museum
and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. At 67,
she and family members run a working
ranch, with horses, cattle, hay production
and oil. The family also supports
youth rodeos, hosts school tours and
developed the nonprofit American
Cowboy Museum. The museum (www.
americancowboymuseum.org) is
dedicated to exposing youngsters to
women, blacks and other minorities who
throughout American history have been
ropers, riders and ranchers.
“We didn’t write books or produce
movies, and we were left out of history,”
Stevenson mentioned as she prepared
for a Juneteenth celebration a few days
ago.
On the walls of the comfortable ranch
house that Stevenson shares with
Elicious Scott, her husband of nearly
20 years, are photos and memorabilia
that trace the ranch’s origin to the early
years of Houston. In one venerable
photo, a white-bearded fellow wearing
a weathered 10-gallon hat, his jeans
stuffed into his boots, sits in a wooden
chair that he has tilted back against
the wall of a frame house. His name is
Edward Ruthven Taylor. On the wall next
to the photo of Taylor is an old photo of
a strong-looking black woman in a plain
dress looking straight into the camera.
Her name was Ann George.
The story of the Taylor-Stevenson
Ranch begins with those two people, a
white landowner and a black slave. They
were Stevenson’s great-grandparents.
Her great-great-grandparents, Edward
Wyllys Taylor and Aaroline Taylor, came
to Texas from Massachusetts in the
1840s. Building a home on land that’s
now the site of Wortham Center, E.W.
Taylor served in later years as president
of the Houston Cotton Exchange and
Board of Trade.
When the Civil War erupted, E.R., the
son, was away at school in New York.
In 1862, the 16-year-old came home
and joined up with Waul’s Texas Legion,
a unit raised in Brenham. He ended
up getting captured at Vicksburg and
contracting consumption (tuberculosis).
Devoted, determined
Once he was released from prison and
the Rebel army, his father purchased 21year-old Ann to look after him. Over time,
her cooking skills and her familiarity with
herbs and potions restored the young
man to good health. Over time, also, the
couple fell in love.
Nothing unusual about interracial love
in the South, of course. What’s unusual
about E.R. and Ann is that, unlike most
slave owners with black mistresses,
they lived together openly as husband
and wife. Even though it was illegal
in Texas for them to marry - not to
mention dangerous to live under the
same roof - they had six children, all of
whom, Stevenson notes, graduated from
YOUR THOUGHTS TO US
Napoleon I wanted to write and let you know how much I enjoy
the paper. It keeps me in touch with the past and present. I also enjoy the articles about the African Tribes along with
the articles regarding the Heritage of different families. The
December issue was of most interest to me because it
identified so many of my family members. Joann and I have
always wondered who family were that had grave stones
in the cemeteries . We knew that we were both related on
Richardson and Phillips sides but not how. We learned that
our great grandmother was Effie Hays married to Thomas
Richardson. Among their eight children was my grandmother
Maude and her twin sister Lelia (you may remember her
living across from Howard School) their brother Earnest
Richardson was grandfather to Joann. Eleanor Hays our great
grandmother’s sister married William Posey who was son of
Jim Posey . My great great grandmother and Sidney Rowell’s great
grandmother on Phillips side married Jim Posey. Posey boys
are half brothers to the Phillips boys and their sister. Jones
girls Essie and Emma married cousins. Seems like Ft Smith
and Van Buren is one big family. Maude West
Hey Poe:
Great story about the Seminole Indians. Keep up the good
work.
John Nix
college.
In 1875, Ann persuaded E.R. to buy
land south of town, where they could
grow hay, raise cattle and tend turkeys.
Three decades later, the family found
gas in their water well, which gave rise
to the Pierce Junction field, the oil field
closest to Houston. In 1921, Hugh Roy
Cullen made his first strike at Pierce
Junction. Howard Hughes reportedly
used his rotary drill for the first time in the
Taylor pasture.
Ann George Taylor died in 1909, her
husband in 1924. Their granddaughter,
Mollie Stevenson Sr. (everyone called
her Mollie Sr. and her daughter Mollie
Jr.), was a graduate of Fisk University
and a gifted pianist who accompanied
the renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers. She
also played at the Rice Hotel, which she
was required to enter through the back
door.
She was at home on horseback, as
well. Her father, Major Taylor, would
wait until she came home from Fisk for
the summer before rounding up and
branding his cattle and driving them to
the salt grass near Freeport. She was
the best cowhand he had.
Ranching and schooling
Mollie Sr. is credited with saving the
ranch in the years after the deaths of
her parents and grandparents. Thanks
to the airtight will E.R. Taylor had drawn
up years earlier, and his granddaughter’s
determination to take on challenges in
court and out, the land and oil rights
remained with the Stevensons.
Mollie Jr. learned ranching from her
tough, strong-willed mother. Her interest
in education came from her father, Ben
“Big Ben” Stevenson, a football AllAmerican at Tuskegee Institute (now
University) who coached for many years
at Houston’s Booker T. Washington High
School.
Mollie Sr. died in 2003 at age 91. Since
then, her daughter and other family
members have worked to keep the ranch
going both as a business enterprise
and to further the family’s educational
mission.
“It’s hard work,” Mollie Jr. says. “It
really has to be in your blood, because
it’s not easy.”
These words ring true one hundred and thirty tree years after
they were spoke.
Many people wonder why Republican legislators today are so
unrelenting on President Obama.
Frederick Douglass gave us the answer many years ago.
How prophetic! !!!
“Though the colored man is no longer subject
to barter and sale, he is surrounded by an adverse settlement
which fetters all his movements. In his downward course
he meets with no resistance, but his course
upward is resented and resisted at every step of his progress. If he comes in ignorance, rags and wretchedness
he conforms to the popular belief of his character, and in
that character he is welcome; but if he shall come as a
gentleman, a scholar and a statesman, he is hailed as a
contradiction to the national faith concerning his race, and his
coming is resented as impudence. In one case he may
provoke contempt and derision, but in the other he is an affront
to pride and provokes malice.” Frederick Douglass September 25, 1883
PAGE 12 THE LINCOLN ECHO
NEWS
FEBRUARY
2014
WHERE DO WE STAND?
Andre’ Good, City Director Ward 2
Just a quick reminder that the
Where Do We Stand articles
will focus on events taking
place primarily in Ward 2
which is the north side of Fort
Smith to inform you and to
hopefully get you motivated
to take interest in city issues.
The boundaries are River
Front Dr to Kelley Hwy, I-540
to North O St, Old Greenwood
Rd to Grand Ave, N. 13th St to
Garrison Ave and back to River Front Dr.
Last month the table below didn’t print and show as I had
thought it would. This resubmission is simply for clarification. I
personally feel that these numbers are too impressive to simply
be written off.
Recently I was told by a concerned citizen that crime rates,
calls for service (CFS) by the FSPD and their response
times were steadily increasing in Fort Smith’s north side. The
response times are calculated as the average time a service
call is received to arrival for patrol division officers only (no
animal control officers) and all priorities, 1 - 9, with 1 meaning
the highest priority (most serious) and 9 meaning the lowest
priority (least serious). So I posed this question to FSPD
Chief Kevin Lindsey. Within two days, Captain Risley provided
me with the following information in regards to the average
response time of calls for service in Ward 2 from January 1 to
November 30, 2013.
Current Employment Opportunities: FSPD Telecommunicator, FSPS Crime and Intelligence Analyst, Radio Communications Technician and EOIII Landfill. www.fortsmithar.gov
I hope you find these articles beneficial and motivational.
Be encouraged…Good things are happening! If you have any
questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to reach
out to me - [email protected] or 479-285-4932.
I, Too
BY LANGSTON HUGHES
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
An
d grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—
The Friday, January 10th Parks Commission meeting was a
full house. On the agenda: The River Valley Sports Complex
and the proposed Northside girls’ softball field at Martin Luther
King, Jr. Park. The latter project is yet another joint venture
with NHS, The Boys and Girls Clubs and the City of Fort Smith.
Those present, prepared to speak and show their support were
Coach Jim Rowland, State Representative George McGill,
Mike Blaylock, Chuck Fawcett, Alie Bahsoon and James
Reddick. Parks Commissioner Madeline Marquette made the
motion to financially support the NHS Girls Softball fundraising
efforts in the tune of $150,000. Parks Commissioner Casey
Millspaugh seconded. The fundraising efforts are led by a
group of NHS Alumni. Also, it should be noted that NHS Girls
Softball Coach Kelly Crane submitted hand-written letters from
the NHS Girls Softball team to the Park Commissioners in
full support of this joint venture. Naming rights of the ball field
would help the fundraising efforts as permanently name the
facility and honor the legacy of the donor. The total project is
expected to cost approximately $400,000.
While the money is flowing and there is still interest for other
park improvements, it sounds as if the skate park at MLK Park
could possibly get a facelift. Although this plan is not currently
in the parks budget, a group of Fort Smith skateboarders is
hoping to see a phase II to reinvest in the 10 year old skate
park at MLK Park. Representing Boardertown Skate Shop,
Nick Gibson and shop owner Steve Clark met and spoke with
Parks about the possibilities in partnering with the city for this
much needed upgrade. According to the Times Record who
interviewed Nick Gibson, Gibson stated that Boardertown
on Rogers Avenue features and indoor, wooden skate park.
“Gibson said it cost $200,000 to build. No price tag has been
associated yet with the proposed upgrade at MLK Park.”
Because I know some of you want to be more involved and
ask what City board and commission positions are available,
monthly I’ll list those vacancies, if any. Be sure to check the
City’s website for updates such as these positions, job opening
and added listings to the Business section – Minority and
Women Owned Business Directory. Also consider signing
up for the City’s notification system Blackboard Connect to
access information about Fort Smith, customized to suit your
preferences – delivery methods and the type of information
you want to receive. Upcoming Board appointments: Plumbing
Advisory Board-February, Housing Authority-March, Arkansas
Fair and Exhibition Board-March, Electric Code Appeals BoardMarch, Outside Agency Review Panel-March, Animal Services
Advisory Board-April, Housing Assistance Board-April and
Planning Commission-April.
I, too, am America.