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 12^th 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.”

Millions of Black Americans had hoped to awaken the day after the 2024 presidential Election and find that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris had won the White House, making history as the nation’s first female president. But Donald Trump claimed the historical development as only the second president elected to non-consecutive terms.

“We made history,” Trump said to supporters at his campaign headquarters in Florida. “We overcame obstacles that no one thought possible.”

Trump’s victory included Republican control of the Senate and possibly the House of Representatives.

At a time when America is bitterly divided, the president-elect said, “We have country that needs help very badly.”

Democrats began reevaluating the trajectory of the 2024 presidential election.

Dr. Ray Winbush, Director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State, said, “I thought the Blue Wall would hold.”

The Harris campaign believed it could win swing states Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania which are known as the “Blue Wall.”

Winbush added, “Harris only had 100 days to put together a national campaign.” He and other political pundits suggest Democrats’ chances of winning might have been much greater if President Joe Biden had decided to withdraw from the race a year ago.

For Black Americans and the rest of the country, Winbush described Trump’s win as “the darkest day in America” since Fort Sumter was fired upon, which was the start of the Civil War, and he believes there will be deep regret.

“The Germans regretted, within six months, that they had voted for Hitler,” Winbush explained.

Trump has been criticized for his praise of Adolf Hitler and other fascist leaders.

As the election evening wound down and the results showing a “red wave” were announced, Trump told his supporters that they have an “unprecedented and powerful mandate.”

Vice-President Kamala Harris is expected to deliver a speech to her supporters later today.

With only a week until Election Day, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are holding their final campaign rallies and crisscrossing the battleground states. Both candidates know the importance of every vote, and they are rallying their base in the closing days.

Vickie Newton, founder of The Village Celebration and Love Black History, traces the history of Black voters in America on the eve of the historic 2024 presidential election.