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| Image shows record from the Norwood Family Cemetery project. |
High school students traveled from Mississippi to present “Death by Design,” a theater production about the fire that killed 21 boys at the Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, Arkansas. The community in Greenwood, Arkansas, cleaned up an unmarked grave site, found the descendants of those interred and dedicated the site as the Norwood Family Cemetery. The Morrilton Depot Museum created a documentary with oral histories from Black railroad workers and their families.
These may sound like very different projects, but they share two important characteristics: They all helped preserve and share African American history and culture in Arkansas, and they all received funding from the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program.
The Black History Commission of
Arkansas administers the program, which offers grants of up to $3,500 to
individuals or groups for programs or projects that support the commission’s
mission. The mission is to collect
materials about Arkansas Black history and history makers for the Arkansas
State Archives and to raise awareness of the contributions and impact Black
Arkansans have had on the state’s history.
Since the grant program was
established in 1997, it has funded more than 100 projects.
“Especially in the difficult financial times we are living in, these grants play a valuable role in promoting the preservation, study and appreciation of African American heritage,” African American History Coordinator for the Arkansas State Archives Tatyana Oyinloye said. “Understanding the past helps us identify who we are now and plan for where we are going.”
In its most recent meeting
Thursday, Aug. 20, the Black History Commission of Arkansas approved a grant
for the Washington County Community Remembrance project. The grant funding will
support establishing a marker to memorialize three enslaved men – Anthony,
Aaron and Randall – who were victims of interracial violence in Washington County
in 1856. The funding also supports engaging the public in discussion about the
tragedy through educational components, like a youth essay contest with
scholarship opportunities.
The Washington County Community
Remembrance project coalition, in partnership with the Equal Justice Institute,
plans to install and dedicate the marker in November and debut the educational outreach
the following spring. Project records, like the winning essays, will be given
to the Black History Commission to be preserved in the Arkansas State Archives.
The Black History Commission approved
the grant request for approximately $2,107. Additional grants are available year-round
through the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant program for other programs and
projects.
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| Curtis Sykes was a highly respected educator and historian. |
Sykes was instrumental in establishing
the Black History Commission of Arkansas in 1991, was one of its original members
and served as chair from 1993 until his death in 2007. During his time as the commission
chair, he pushed for legislation to have African American history taught in Arkansas
schools, leading to the passage of Act 326 of 1997.
“Mr. Sykes worked tirelessly for the African
American community,” Oyinloye said. “The grant program encourages others to carry
on his efforts.”
The first step in the grant
process is a consultation with Oyinloye, who can be reached at (501) 682-6900. Additional
information, guidelines and the grant application are available at http://archives.arkansas.gov/ArkansasStateArchives/Available-Grants.
