Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African-Americans in U.S. history.
The event grew out of "Negro History Week," the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans. For most black students, the experience in the classroom and lecture hall is one of being present and being excluded at the same time. Nearly all information taught in schools and colleges ignore the black student's cultural heritage. Black history is a subject that can interest all cultures. Black history in the broadest sense includes the contributions of black people to development of history and civilization. It includes the contributions of black people to the development of the arts, technology and the sciences, industry and world trade, and religion and philosophy. Instead of questioning the need or validity for a cultural or heritage month for a minority group, why not appreciate it? Celebrating the continuing contributions of the diverse cultures in this country that highlight triumph over institutionalized inequality should be something we look forward to, not question.
Few are aware of the countless inventions by black inventors. Among the most significant are the air-conditioning unit, almanac, auto cutoff switch, auto fishing device, automatic gear shift, baby buggy, bicycle frame, biscuit cutter, blood plasma bag, cellular phone, chamber commode, clothes dryer, curtain rod, door stop, dust pan, egg beater, electric lamp bulb, elevator, fire escape ladder, riding saddles, rolling pin, shampoo headrest, spark plug, stethoscope, stove, straightening comb, street sweeper, phone transmitter, thermostat control, traffic light, tricycle, typewriter, chess, fiber optics, folding bed, folding chair, fountain pen, furniture caster, gas mask, golf tee, guitar, hairbrush, hand stamp, horse shoe, ice cream scooper, ironing board key chain, lantern, lawn mower, lemon squeezer, lock, lunch pail, mail box mop, motor, peanut butter, pencil sharpener and the refrigerator.
Black Americans have always been an integral part of America's accomplishments and advances. Charles Bolden, Mae Jemison, Bernard Harris, Frederick Gregory, Ed Dwight and Guion Bluford were all astronauts in the space program. Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell served as secretary of state and Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas as Supreme Court justices. Prominent black Arkansans include Scipio Jones, an attorney who defended 12 in the Elaine Massacre in 1919; Rodney Slater became director of the Federal Highway Administration; Milton Crenchaw, a Tuskegee airman; Daisy Bates, a historic activist; and John Johnson, founder of Ebony and Jet magazines. Mamie Phipps aided in the success of the Brown vs Board of Education court case. Joyce Craft was named superintendent of the Hot Springs School District in 2007, while Alford L. McMichael, born in Hot Springs, assumed his post as the 14th sergeant major of the Marine Corps, the highest enlisted rank available to noncommissioned officers, on July 1, 1999. Robert Cornelius Mitchell, Langston High graduate and four-time pro bowler, was inducted into the National Football League Hall of Fame in 1983. There are many others with significant accomplishments in the sports, faith-based, political, educational, business and entertainment fields.
In 1992, a group of collaborators, Deborah Warren, David Corbell and Chuck Dodson, chronicled the history of Malvern Avenue, the center of activity in Hot Springs from 1910 to the 1960s. They cited that Malvern Avenue was the hub of the black community in Hot Springs. "The Avenue," as it was deferentially known, thrived as a community that catered to its visitors. It was an oasis in the South, rich with elite accommodations, culture and entertainment. Black professionals from all venues, including political, entertainment and sports figures, visited Hot Springs to experience the curative powers of the water, as well as the excitement of horse racing and casino gambling. In 1915, there were 37 mostly black-owned businesses in a three block area of Malvern Avenue. By 1938, the same center had 78 businesses.
The number of black professionals abounded, including 17 physicians, six pharmacists, five lawyers, three dentists, and a nursing school. A few of the businesses in Hot Springs included Peoples Laundry and Dry Cleaners, Thornton Drug Store, Kitty's Cafe, Pythian Hotel, Club Atmosphere, Park Hotel, The Reed House, Bonner's Rooming House, Town Talk Bar-B-Que, Union Cafe, Page's Mortuary, Burton Barber Shop, Lowery Bros. food stores, J.D. Jackson Fish Market, Harris Funeral Home, Jimmy Fain Liquor Store, Reed Pool Hall, ECHO newspaper, Jones Bar-B-Que, Elite Cafe, Vans Tire Shop, Chic Ferguson Cab Stand, Brandenburg Cleaners, Business and Progressive Club, Bonner's Barbershop, McKenzie Courts and the Cameo Club. Physicians included Dr. J.E. Eve, Dr. Ellis Kendall Sr., Dr. Harold H. Phipps, Dr. A.C. Torrance, Dr. McKinley Voorhees, Dr. Edith Irby Jones, Dr. S.G. Walker and Dr. J.B. Woods. Businessmen and other notables included Alroy Puckett, L.C. Woods, Bubba Page, Alfonso Logan, Kenneth Adair, Margaret Long Martin, Glenn Johnson, Sam Guinn and Helen Collins Hill.
In my formative years, I attended St. Gabriel Catholic School from kindergarten through the eighth grade and remember the strict adherence demanded by the nuns to my studies and discipline throughout the day. Later, I discovered a world of black and white. A world filled with signs and designs. Although I realized Negroes (blacks) were unable to access certain facilities or to utilize some public services, the full impact of being regarded as a second-class citizen didn't hit home until I entered high school. My journey through the early years included riding in the back of the bus and only occupying a seat if no whites were standing; drinking from designated fountains and ordering foods through windows located on the side of buildings; being unable to sit at department store or cafe counters; forced to only sit in balconies of theaters; employed in only service industry and laborer jobs; using hand-me-down books and athletic equipment from the white-only schools; and being questioned by authorities if seen in nonminority residential areas.
Most blacks lived in one of six areas in Hot Springs or Garland County. The areas were referred to as "Across Town," "The Boulevard," "Uptown," "Jonestown," "Tweedletown" or "Flatwoods." I lived in "Tweedletown" or "South Hot Springs," even though it was located in the western part of town and bounded north by West Grand Avenue, east by Summer Street, south by Albert Pike and west by a wooded area. The neighborhood was comprised of a mix of black and white families, many of which were Tweedles, Samuels, Slaughterbacks, Crutchfields, Pittmans or Cravens. Integration soon dissipated many relics and customs in the black communities, especially respect toward teachers and elders that was so much a part of one's upbringing in black culture. I sometimes wonder -- had there been an environment of cultural sensitivity, provided by a diverse staff in K-4 grade levels -- if today's students would be more civil toward others, concerned about their appearance and interested in their educational development.
The cornerstone of the Avenue was the National Baptist Hotel and bath house (now known as the Home Harbor) ingenuously designed and built in the early 1920s by philanthropist John L. Webb. The 119-room hotel housed an investment company, an insurance company, a 100-room hospital with X-ray facilities, a nursing school and a printing press. The hotel was the national headquarters for the Woodmen of the Union and was a major asset to the community. Although the WOU was folded with the huge membership and investment funds, Webb was never granted a bank charter for what was to be the only black-owned and -operated bank in Arkansas. The top floor ballroom was the stage for memorable performances by entertainers such as Count Basie, Earl Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway and many others who were frequent visitors of the local establishments.
In 1945, John L. Webb founded the Webb Community Center as a site for community and educational gatherings. The Webb Center was the primary location for the black community to socialize and interact since the majority of Garland County's blacks lived in the neighborhood. Today, the Webb Center, under the leadership of Bill Watkins, supports the activities of all the residents in the community, regardless of race, color or creed. Meetings, receptions, tutoring and seminars are just a few of the activities that take place at the center. It is also used as a polling place for local, state and national elections.
Cheryl Batts, founder of The Uzuri Project (Swahili for beauty), a community nonprofit organization most commonly referred to as People Helping Others Excel By Example (P.H.O.E.B.E.) and five other local citizens began to accumulate photographs and oral history of Hot Springs and its black population in 1997. The project is a continuing endeavor within P.H.O.E.B.E., including more than 1,500 photographs, artifacts and documents. It brings together memories from the community's history that reveals a variety of stories about colorful people, places and events. The Men Mentoring Young Minorities (MMYM) nonprofit, founded by the Rev. Fred Nicholson, provides mentoring to students in the Hot Springs School District. The goal of MMYM is to enhance the district's mission to provide an atmosphere of achievement so students will benefit through the acquisition of skills necessary to become productive members of our community and society. MMYM addresses problematic issues persistent among students by conducting a mentoring program focusing on unruly and irrational behavior expressed by students during and after school hours.
Editorial on 02/03/2016