AR History

In the final episode of the Taking What They Can Carry: Forced Migration in Arkansas series, we're joined by Dr. Michael Pierce at the HumanitiesAR Next Gen(eration) Humanities Conference. Dr. Pierce discusses the case of Nelson Hackett, an enslaved man who escaped bondage in Arkansas by fleeing to Canada but was extradited back to Arkansas. Hackett’s story not only to document a single man’s incredible struggle but also to explore how that one man activated a trans-Atlantic and biracial network of activists working to undermine the institution of slavery. Hackett’s struggle demonstrates how the actions of enslaved individuals forced officials throughout the entire Atlantic world to confront the very thing that most of them wanted to ignore—the institution of chattel slavery. Thus, fugitives like Hackett played critical roles in the century-long process of abolition and emancipation. The statements and opinions expressed in the video are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Arkansas Humanities Council, Inc. or its employees.

Join us for a lecture presented by Dr. Kenneth Barnes, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Central Arkansas. Dr. Barnes covers a history of the Ku Klux Klan in Arkansas from the 1890s through the 1900s and how this history continues to resonate today. The statements and opinions expressed in the video are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Arkansas Humanities Council, Inc. or its employees.

On this episode of Taking What They Can Carry, we're joined by Dr. Blake Perkins to discuss a brief history of Lawrence County, Arkansas. Dr. Perkins details the actions of a group of white men who used nightriding, mob violence, and other terrorism tactics in their attempts to make the town of Walnut Ridge all white. Despite being unsuccessful in completely removing the area's Black residents, these events led to the 1912 Walnut Ridge Race War. The statements and opinions expressed in the video are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Arkansas Humanities Council, Inc. or its employees.

Join Stephanie Harp, an independent researcher, as she uncovers the historical impacts of the Flood of 1927, a surge of mob violence that resulted in the last lynching in Little Rock, and the how both lead to an exodus of Black residents from Arkansas's capitol city.

Join Phoenix Smithy for Spatial Segregation in Central Arkansas: A Brief Examination of Dark Hallow, Urban Renewal, and the Construction of I-630 in Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas. Smithy discusses a brief history of Dark Hollow, a predominantly Black neighborhood located in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and the changes its residents endured with the construction of a major highway in Central Arkansas. Smithy provides details of the neighborhood and showcases these changes via historical maps