Arkansas Black Caucus Celebrates Black History Month

Hundreds of Arkansans crowded the Rotunda of the state Capitol today for a Black History Month program hosted by the legislative Black Caucus. Legislators from both sides of the aisle mingled with high school and college students. Blacks and whites joined the applause accompanying speeches touting unity.

“Black history is for all of us,” Philander Smith College student, Russell Williams III reminded the audience. His voice rang throughout the marbled hall where an exhibit of Arkansas’ Black legislators for the last 150 years was displayed.

Representative Vivian Flowers, chairperson of the Arkansas Black Caucus, described the day as “surreal” because it reminded her of the years she worked for the Black Caucus during which she vowed to bring the service of the unrecognized legislators to the attention of Arkansans.

She recalled, “There were so many who I had never read about, never knew their faces or their contributions.”

The Arkansas legislature is currently 11 percent African American, a number Governor Asa Hutchinson said he would like to see increase.

“I recognize the significant contributions of the legislative Black Caucus,” he said. “There would be a tremendous vacuum without them.”

Hutchinson applauded the legislators for advocating “consistently and successfully for HBCUs”, pre-K education, maintaining Black History as Arkansas history, and growth in the Delta.

Two members of the Black Caucus, Representatives John Lewellen  and Charles Edward Clay  , passed last year. They were remembered today with a moment of silence.

A group of students from Central High School performed, bringing loud praise from the crowd with spoken word presentations that artfully painted pictures of Black history and culture. They were followed on the program by the Philander Smith College choir. Miss University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Salonica Hunter, served as the program’s mistress of ceremonies.