MINUTES OF THE ARKANSAS BLACK HISTORY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

NOVEMBER 17, 2005

Conference Room, Arkansas History Commission and State Archives

One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, Arkansas

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The Chairman, Mr. Curtis H. Sykes of North Little Rock, called the quarterly meeting of the Arkansas Black History Advisory Committee to order at 2:00 p.m. Other committee members present were Mrs. Carla Coleman of Little Rock, Mrs. Versia Miles of Texarkana, Rev. Barry Dobson of El Dorado, and Dr. John W. Graves of Arkadelphia. Members not present were Dr. Henri L. Linton of Pine Bluff and Mr. Mylas Jeffers of Blytheville. The minutes of the September 8, 2005, meeting were read and approved. The following visitors were introduced: Ms. Lavona Wilson of Little Rock, Ms. Carolyn Kent of Jacksonville, Ms. Berna J. Love of Conway, Mr. Melvin Collins of Fordyce, Ms. Jean Eason of Sherwood, and Mr. John E. Fluker of Little Rock.

A written report from the Arkansas Department of Education was distributed to the members. Ms. Lavona Wilson, Arkansas Humanities Council, presented a report on grant proposals. Mr. Russell P. Baker, Archival Manager of the History Commission, reported on current Arkansas Black History projects. Dr. Wendy Richter, Director of the History Commission, gave a report on funds available for Committee grants. She also discussed the upcoming interviews for the Coordinator of African American History Program.

Chairman Sykes mentioned that grants must be followed up by reports concerning the funded projects. The Committee then turned to grant requests. The first was from Mr. Robert E. Bailey, Director of the Arkansas Humanities Council, requesting $5,000 from the Committee to help fund subgrants as part of the Council’s Black History Grants Program. By motion and second the Committee voted unanimously to approve this grant. The second grant request was from the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society, Arkansas Chapter, for $5,000 to assist in the rental of a meeting and workshop facility and honoraria for guest speakers. By motion and second the Committee voted unanimously to tentatively approve this grant, pending the submission of a final report to the Committee from its last grant and information on the organization’s attendance and contacts. The last proposal was from Dr. John W. Graves for $4,000 to finance the editing and republication of A. E. Bush and P. E. Dorman’s History of the Mosaic Templars of America – Its Founders and Officials. By motion and second the Committee voted unanimously to approve this grant with the provision that the funds be sent directly to the publisher as subvention support or to the Mosaic Templars Preservation Society for the purpose of subvention funding of the publication, and not to Dr. Graves. Monies for all of the grants approved were to come from the 2005 Black History Grant, General Improvement Fund.

Visitors were then invited to speak. Mr. John E. Fluker of Little Rock described a new project to restore the J. E. Wallace School in Fordyce as a regional Black History museum. Ms. Carolyn Kent of Jacksonville mentioned her desire to locate and interview African Americans who had worked at World War II era Arkansas ordnance plants. Ms. Berna J. Love spoke of her new book on the history of Little Rock’s West Ninth Street community. Committee member Mrs. Carla Coleman invited all to the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society meeting in February, and also discussed a large collection of photographs she is restoring at Arkansas Baptist College. She plans to seek grant funds for this project at some time in the future.

The next meeting was set for February 23, 2006, at the Alpha House, 1500 Ringo Street, Little Rock, at 2 p.m. The Committee adjourned at 3:35 p.m.