The history of African Americans in Arkansas is a long and complex story. From Arkansas’s earliest territorial days through modern day statehood, Arkansas’s African American community has endured pain and difficulty, meeting challenges with strength and perseverance while contributing to the world a legacy of powerful role models. One of the most important factors for African Americans in Arkansas, though, is probably one of the least addressed: the sense of close-knit community. This collection highlights the everyday life of Arkansas’s African American community, including education, work, religion and leisure.
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African American Episcopal Church Service
This is a black and white photograph of an African American Episcopal Church service in Arkansas.
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African American School for the Deaf
This is a black and white photograph of temporary quarters for the Arkansas School, which eventually housed the "Colored School for the Deaf." The photograph says the capacity of the school was 100.
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African Americans Square Dancing
This is a black and white photograph of African Americans square dancing at the Independence County Folk Festival held May 26-27 of an unknown year.
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Dean and Students of the Christ Parochial and Industrial School
This is a black and white photograph of the Rev. J. Henry King, Dean of Christ Church Parochial and Industrial School, Inez Middleton, UTO Worker, with students from grades 5-8.
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Students at African American for the Deaf School
This is a black and white photograph of African American students at Arkansas's "Colored Deaf School" in Little Rock.
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Students at the Arkansas Trade School
Black and white photograph of African American male students hand sewing in a room filled with large tables and industrial sewing machines at the Arkansas Trade School in Pine Bluff.
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Students Working on Automobiles at the Arkansas Trade School
Black and white photograph of African American students at work on automobiles in the Arkansas Trade School shop in Pine Bluff.
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Program, Scipio Jones Post Office Dedication
This is a program from the 2007 post office dedication ceremony in Little Rock. The post office at 1700 Main Street in Little Rock was renamed in honor of Jones.
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Yearbook, Immanuel Christian Center and Christian School
This is the 1982 yearbook for the Immanuel Christian Center and Christian School in Tuckerman.
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Childress High School Rhythm Band
This a black and white photograph of the Childress High School Rhythm Band. There are are a few names handwritten on the photograph.
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Marion Taylor, First African American State Trooper in Arkansas
This is a black and white photograph of Arkansas's first African American state trooper, Marion Taylor.
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Program, Cornerstone Laying at Bethel A.M.E. Church
Program from the cornerstone laying ceremony for Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on 16th Street between State and Izard Streets in Little Rock. The ceremony was held at Dunbar Community Center.
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Report Card, East Side High School, Tuckerman
This is a report card for students at East Side High School, a school for black students, in Tuckerman.
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Program, Commencement Exercises of the J.C. Corbin High School
Program from the commencement exercises in Caldwell Hall at J.C. Corbin High School in Pine Bluff in 1953.
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Hugh Simmons and the New Farmers of America (NFA) Students
This is a black and white photograph of Mr. Hugh Simmons and the New Farmers of America (NFA) students at Okolona Colored High School (Simmons High School) in Okolona, circa 1950.
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Ninth Street in Little Rock
Black and white photograph of Ninth Street in Little Rock during the 1940s.
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Ninth Street in Little Rock
Black and white photograph of Ninth Street in Little Rock during the 1940s.
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C. F. West, Principal of Grady Colored School
This is a black and white photograph of C. F. West, who was the principal of Grady Colored School in Lincoln County.
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Grady Colored School
This is a black and white photograph of Grady Colored School in Lincoln County.
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African American Boys Playing on Coca Cola Stand
This is a black and white photograph of African American boys playing on a Coca Cola stand in Little Rock.
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Recipes, Mattie Green
These are typed recipes by Mattie Green from the Across the Horizon collection compiled by Cornelia Kirkley Foster in 1938. The recipes are for tea cakes and ice cream.
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Church Bulletin, The Bethelite
Church bulletin from Bethel A.M.E. Church at 9th and Broadway in Little Rock. The bulletin is called "The Bethelite" and contains church news and comments from the pastor.
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Forrest City Camp for African American Flood Refugees
This is a black and white photograph of a refugee camp for African American flood victims in Forrest City, St. Francis County.
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Pamphlet, Public Secondary Schools for Negroes in Arkansas
Pamphlet showing a complete list of black secondary public schools in Arkansas as of October 1, 1933.