African American

,

Bass Reeves portrait to be on display in the Arkansas Capitol

,

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

Artists will soon be solicited to paint a portrait of Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves for display in the Arkansas Capitol building. Reeves will be the first African-American and first non-governor to have a portrait in the Capitol, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.

Reeves was a U.S. Deputy Marshal under U.S. Federal Judge Isaac C. Parker. Reeves was born a slave in Texas in 1838 and died in Muskogee, Okla., on Jan. 12, 1910. Reeves was an African-American and illiterate, but captured more outlaws than anyone else, according to the book, “Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves,” written by Art Burton. Burton wrote that Reeves was an expert tracker and detective, and was able to memorize the warrants for every lawbreaker he was to arrest and bring to trial. Reeves was the first African-American inducted into the Great Westerners Hall of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1992.

A 25-foot tall monument of Bass Reeves was unveiled in downtown Fort Smith in May 2012. It was created by sculptor Harold T. Holden. The larger-than-life statue of Reeves also includes his horse, Blaze, and his trusty dog, named simply “Dog.”

Bass Reeves portrait to be on display in the Arkansas Capitol

Photo of Bass Reeves and his monument in downtown Fort Smith.

,

Plaintiffs discuss ongoing lawsuit against Arkansas critical race theory ban

,

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A group of teachers and students in Arkansas is suing the state over a law that was used to restrict an advanced placement African American studies course. They say the law is vague and creates a chilling effect because it tries to limit how race is talked about in classrooms.

Ruthie Walls, a history teacher at Central High School in Little Rock, is one of a handful of educators who teach AP African American Studies. Last August she was preparing for the school year, when she found out her class was canceled by the state.

“No one wants to get news like that,” she said. “I was taken off guard and I had to continue with the day.”

Plaintiffs discuss ongoing lawsuit against Arkansas critical race theory ban

Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate

From left front: Gisele Davis, Chandra Williams-Davis, Ruthie Walls, Sadie Belle Reynolds and Jennifer Reynolds are five of the seven plaintiffs challenging Section 16 of the Arkansas LEARNS Act in federal court.

,

Arkansas drops AP African American Studies course

,

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Just 48 hours before the first day of school, the Arkansas Department of Education announced that Advanced Placement African American Studies wouldn't count towards graduation. They said they’re reviewing the course for possible indoctrination.

Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders went on Fox News to explain her administration's decision to de-prioritize AP African American studies.

“We cannot perpetuate a lie to our students, and push this propaganda leftist agenda, teaching our kids to hate America, and hate one another," she said.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/npr-news/2023-08-23/arkansas-drops-ap-african-american-studies-course

LA Johnson/NPR

The College Board-designed class was scrapped 48 hours before the start of school.

,

UAMS Receives $18.9 Million NIH Award to Address Health Disparities

,

By David Robinson

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received $18.9 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support new research and interventions that will focus on reducing cancer and cardiovascular disease disparities among people who live in rural areas and African American populations across Arkansas.

The five-year award from the NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) will support the establishment of the Center for Research, Health and Social Justice – one of only 11 Multiple Chronic Disease (MCD) Centers funded in the United States. Leading the grant are Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health faculty members Carol Cornell, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, and director of the NIMHD-funded Arkansas Center for Health Disparities, and Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., MPH, a professor and director of the Center for the Study of Tobacco.

The overall goals of the center are to:

  • Advance the science of chronic disease health disparities through multidisciplinary team science to improve cancer and cardiovascular outcomes.

  • Facilitate research and training opportunities to strengthen the capacity of researchers and community members to develop interventions that reduce cancer and cardiovascular disease disparities using social justice principles.

  • Support academic-community partnerships to address the root causes of chronic disease disparities among African Americans and in rural areas in the state.

https://news.uams.edu/2021/11/15/uams-receives-18-9-million-nih-award-to-address-health-disparities/

,

UAMS Project Part of National Effort to Reduce COVID-19 in Hardest Hit Populations

,

By David Robinson

June 14, 2021 | LITTLE ROCK — UAMS researchers and their community partners across Arkansas are studying the causes behind COVID-19’s devastating impact on minorities and developing plans to help increase vaccination rates.

Supporting the one-year project is a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. UAMS was one of 11 teams selected as part of the national alliance.

Last year, Arkansas was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a national hot spot for COVID-19 disparities among Marshallese and Hispanic populations. The disparities in percentage of cases, hospitalizations and deaths among these populations were so severe that CDC and NIH officials visited Northwest Arkansas to investigate.

Black/African American and rural communities across the state have been struck hard, too, said Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., MPH, one of three principal investigators on the study.

https://news.uams.edu/2021/06/14/uams-project-part-of-national-effort-to-reduce-covid-19-in-hardest-hit-populations/

UAMS Principal Investigators Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., MPH, and Laura James, M.D.