Date Original
2010
Description
This collection contains materials pertaining to an education exhibit on African Americans of Northeast Arkansas, 1940–1960 by the Hill Foundation, Inc. Materials consists of a final grant report, a bound presentation, images, publications highlighting the Hill Foundation, Inc., a brochure, and a disc containing digital formats of some of the aforementioned documents.
Biographical/Historical Note
Following the United States Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in July 1955, 21 black students integrated the all-white schools of Hoxie, a small rural town in Lawrence County, Arkansas. Initially the integration proceeded smoothly and without incident, but by August 1955 hundreds of pro-segregationists came to the small town of Hoxie to protest its schools’ desegregation. Despite this opposition, the pro-segregationists failed in their attempt to prevent Hoxie schools from integrating. The Hill Foundation, Inc. was founded in 2003 by members of the Hill family of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. The Hills were one of several families whose children were the first black students to integrate the Hoxie schools. This project was partially funded by a grant from the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial program administered by the Black History Commission of Arkansas. The Black History Commissioner of Arkansas (BHCA) was created by Act 1233 of 1991 and is composed of seven members appointed by the governor with approval of the Senate. The BHCA is charged with preserving the history of black Arkansans and black communities in Arkansas. This commission also encourages research of Arkansas’ black history and promotes teaching black history in Arkansas schools. Grants are awarded from the BHCA in a concerted effort to ensure Arkansas’ black history is collected and preserved. The Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program was established in 2009 by Act 660 to honor the program’s namesake who served as chair of the commission from 1993-2007.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Hoxie, Lawrence County (Ark.); Walnut Ridge, Lawrence County (Ark.)
Language
English
Identifier
BHC.001.007
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Hill Foundation Incorporated, education exhibit grant project, BHC.001.007
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Hill Foundation Incorporated, education exhibit grant project, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
