Black History
Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate, Stacey Abrams, Visits Arkansas
The Georgia gubernatorial race is becoming a national race with African Americans around the country rallying behind Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, the first African American female nominee of a major party for governor.
Former Little Rock Mayor Lottie Shackleford hosted a reception for Abrams at Hearne Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock. Shackleford, the first female and African American mayor of Little Rock, is familiar with the expectations inherent in being “the first.”
“It’s a lot of excitement on our part as Black women,” Shackelford said. “I’m constantly saying, ‘When you look at the rungs of a ladder whether its politics or economics…White men are at the top, and Black women are on the bottom. The middle varies between Black men and White women. But, the constants are White men at the top, Black women at the bottom.’ But for us as Black women to have a black woman as a major party nominee for governor is a major accomplishment on Stacey’s part and the people of Georgia.”
At the reception, the Yale-educated lawyer and member of the Georgia state legislature, talked about her parents who worked hard to provide for their six children and stressed faith, education, and service.
“We’re running because we know we are all entitled to this dream called The American Dream,” Abrams told supporters. “We have an obligation in these days to speak truth to power.”
Voting Black in a Red State
President Donald Trump endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp , and former President Barack Obama endorsed Abrams.
“Her campaign is ignited by and connected to ‘Yes, We Can,’ the Obama campaign slogan,” Angela Burt pointed out. Burt is the president of the Dunbar Historic Neighborhood Association. “An African American female from the South…it has to be a ‘Yes, We Can.’”
Kemp, who has been Georgia’s Secretary of State since 2010, is currently under fire after several media outlets investigated and found that his official Secretary of State voter app is linked directly to the social media accounts for his campaign. The NAACP is calling for his resignation .
With 96 days until the election, Abrams and her campaign are focused on turning out the vote.
“I think it’s an indicator of the times for women,” said Bob Nash, who worked in the Clinton Administration. “She’s not just chasing windmills. She has a good chance of winning if the turnout is there, Black women and Hispanic women and men who see this as a positive for the state. The only people who will be opposed are the Trumpsters.”
Abrams defeated a White opponent, former state legislator Stacey Evans, to win the Democratic primary, and she did so with more than 70 percent of the vote ().
Abrams’ Little Rock Connection
In Little Rock, the 44-year-old recalled her first election. She ran for student body president at Spelman College and remembered the friends who believed in her. The mother of one of those friends, Dr. Annette Slater, wiped tears from her eyes as Abrams spoke.
“Hopefully, people will read her book, and she talks about her experiences,” Slater said. “She has the education, the economics, and the experience in politics. She writes about taking responsibility for the gifts God gave you.”
Abrams book, Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change, shares insights from her years as the Minority Leader of Georgia’s House of Representatives. Representative Vivian Flowers, chair of the Arkansas Black Caucus stood among the supporters and used her cell phone to videotape Abrams’ remarks. Flowers said, “Thank you for setting a new standard, breaking barriers and creating a new normal for the country.”
In Arkansas a formerly all-Black school, Ouachita County Training School, has launched a national fundraising effort to restore the campus following its designation as a site on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the first corporate donations to OCTS, located in Bearden, Arkansas, came from the Katherine Anthony Foundation.
Anthony’s nephew, Steve, and CEO of Anthony Timberlands, presented a $10,000 check to the historic committee.
“We are happy to support the work of the Greater Bradley District Association and the Ouachita County Training School committee in their efforts to maintain the infrastructure and grounds of the training school, which is such an important part of the Bearden community,” Anthony said.
The National Park Service listed OCTS on the prestigious register in 2023.
“Since we received the news, we have been excited and motivated to raise the fund necessary to preserve this part of our history!” Virginia Ashley, committee president said. “We recognize the pivotal role OCTS played in educating several generations of young people who started right here and went on to contribute greatly to the Black middle class and the world.”
The gift of education
For education advocates, December holds a special place in American history. During the Christmas Season in 1952, the Supreme Court first heard arguments to eliminate segregation in the nation’s public schools. But, it took two more years before the Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring segregation unconstitutional.
During the 1950s, OCTS educated Black students in the small southern town south of Little Rock, which became known internationally for The Little Rock Nine and their efforts to integrate Central High School. In Bearden, several Rosenwald Schools had consolidated to create the larger OCTS campus that educated students from the first through the 12th grades.
“I have such wonderful memories of my days as a student at OCTS,” recalled Pearlie Newton, a retired educator and executive director of the OCTS historic committee. “My dad helped pour concrete at the campus, my husband and I met there and it was in one of the classrooms that my goal to become an educator took shape.”
Despite the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision eliminating “separate but equal” schools, OCTS remained segregated until 1971 when it merged with the white school district in the area. An association of Black Baptist churches known as the Greater Bradley District Association purchased the campus for use as its headquarters.
Pastor and Association Moderator, Verna Thompson, said, “We are excited about the renovation and look forward to holding our church services and meetings in a modernized facility that holds so much historic significance.”
Formerly All-Black School in Arkansas Works to Restore Campus
How Holiday Generosity Highlights African American Giving
Donald Trump Wins the White House, Dashing Hopes for First Black Female President
-
Black History5 years agoThe Idlewild Resort: Once the Largest, Most Successful Resort in the Midwest for Black People
-
Black History6 years agoMeet Sarah Boone, the Woman Who Patented the Ironing Board
-
Black History4 years agoCharles Baker: African American Inventor of Friction Heat
-
Black History5 years agoAuburn Avenue: The Richest “Negro Street in the World”
-
Black History5 years agoBoley, Oklahoma: One of the Last All-Black Towns Still Standing
-
Black History9 years agoUrsula Burns, From Intern to CEO
-
Black History6 years agoMeet Elijah McCoy: The father of Lubrication, the Real McCoy
-
Black History4 years agoFive Facts to Know About the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on its Anniversary