Civil Rights Itinerary

9:00AM

10:00AM

NOON 2:00PM

3:40PM

5:15PM

5:30PM6:30PM

DAY 2 8:30AM

DAY 1

DAISY BATES HOUSE – Home to Civil Rights activist and NAACP member Daisy Lee Gatson Bates, this National Historic Landmark served as the command center during the 1957 Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis, and was a safe haven for the African-American students, known as the Little Rock Nine. Private tours are available.

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE – In 1957, Little Rock Central High School became a crucial battleground for Civil Rights, as the nation watched nine courageous African-American teenagers attempt to attend school. The visitor center tells the story through videos and storyboards. Tours are available on the grounds and inside the school – the nation’s only functioning high school within the boundaries of a national historic site. 2016 marks the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, and Central High is part of a nationwide Centennial celebration. Tour reservations required.

Lunch

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER – Explore Arkansas’s African-American history and culture at this Ninth & Broadway location – a thriving business and cultural center for the African-American community during the segregation era. Learn how black entrepreneurs and legislators impacted the state and experience first-hand accounts of life in the segregated South from the people who lived it. The museum is also home to the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, that includes a former U.S. president from Arkansas.

THE BUTLER CENTER FOR ARKANSAS STUDIES – Listen to audio recordings from the actual 1957 Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis events. Learn about the past by participating in a beginner’s genealogy lesson with a local historian and genealogy expert.

Driving tour and photo opportunities TABORIAN HALL MUSEUM – Built in 1916, this building was the cultural and economic hub of Little Rock’s vibrant African-American community, and is the last remaining original building on the 9th Street “Line.” Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hall served as headquarters for the Arkansas Chapter of the National Knights and Daughters of the Tabor. The third-floor Dreamland Ballroom hosted many famous entertainers including Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, and Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. “TESTAMENT” MONUMENT – Located on the northern lawn of the Arkansas State Capitol are nine life-sized bronze statues that pay homage to the students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. It is the first Civil Rights monument built on the grounds of a state capitol. Freshen up at hotel for dinner Dinner

Driving tour and photo opportunities PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE – Founded in 1877, this small, privately supported college was established to educate former slaves. It was the first attempt west of the Mississippi River to make education available to freed men. Philander Smith is the only United Negro College Fund institution in Arkansas, and has produced prominent local and national leaders. ARKANSAS BAPTIST COLLEGE – Founded in 1884 as the Minister’s Institute, Arkansas Baptist College was initially funded by the Colored Baptists of the State of Arkansas. A private liberal arts institution, it was among the country’s first Baptist colleges founded for African-Americans. It is the only Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) institution located west of the Mississippi River.

9:30AM

11:00AM

NOON

1:45PM

2:45PM

3:30PM

4:00PM

5:00PM

BETHEL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH – Established in 1866 by freeman and Methodist minister Nathan Warren, this church’s original incarnation has given rise to five houses of worship over the last 148 years. Its current home is in the city’s historic Quapaw Quarter.

DUNBAR MIDDLE SCHOOL – Originally built in 1929 as the Negro School of Industrial Arts, this Little Rock school offered public education to the city’s African-American students. Later, it was named for poet Paul Laurence Dunbar to reflect a change in curriculum to include more arts. Dunbar’s resources – including outdated textbooks – paled in comparison to those of Little Rock Central High School, originally built for local white students. SUE COWAN WILLIAMS LIBRARY – Sue Cowan Williams represented African-American teachers in the Little Rock School District as the plaintiff in the case challenging the rate of salaries allotted to teachers in the district based solely on skin color. She taught at Dunbar High School. The tenth library in the Central Arkansas Library System is named for her.

HEARNE FINE ART GALLERY – Founded in 1988 by Archie and Garbo Hearne, this art gallery, custom framing and book store serves to showcase African-American artists and the power of their unique art in our culture and society. CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY – President Clinton’s forward thinking ideas in the areas of politics, economics, race relations and more led his efforts to bridge the gap between people and barriers around the globe. He believed the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were necessary to improve millions of lives. Many of his administration’s initiatives are highlighted in his library. Lunch at FORTY TWO – Located inside the Clinton Presidential Center and named in honor of our 42nd president, the restaurant and terrace overlook the Arkansas River and the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM – Known as Little Rock’s first neighborhood, four restored 19th-century houses still exist on the original site nestled in the heart of today’s thriving downtown. Visitors experience this historical period by taking the museum’s guided tours and watching re-enactors portraying actual figures of the day, many of whom were African-American. HAVEN OF REST CEMETERY – Arkansas’s largest African-American cemetery with more than 7,500 burials. Haven of Rest became the final resting place of Civil Rights pioneer Daisy Bates, Scipio A. Jones – best known for successfully defending 12 men condemned to death after the Elaine Riots in 1919 – and many others. Driving tour and photo opportunities SAINT MARK BAPTIST CHURCH – Founded in 1892 with only four members, Saint Mark’s is now home to more than 9,000 members, making it one of the largest active black congregations in Arkansas. FIRST MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH – Organized in 1845 by a slave for fellow slaves, the Reverend Wilson Brown established the First Negro Baptist Church, known today as First Missionary Baptist. It is reported to be the oldest black church in Arkansas. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and former governor and President Bill Clinton have spoken from its pulpit. OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM – Arkansas’s original state capitol, constructed in 1836, was partially built with slave labor. During the Reconstruction period, more than 40 black legislators served in the Old State House. It is believed that Mifflin Gibbs, the first black elected municipal judge in the nation, held office here. ARKANSAS CIVIL RIGHTS HERITAGE TRAIL – Established in 2011, this walking tour features commemorative sidewalk markers paying homage to the sacrifices and achievements made by those who have fought for justice in the state – including the Little Rock Nine, members of the healthcare, judicial, professional and educational community, and more. Depart Little Rock

NOTEWORTHY AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARKANSANS:

Maya Angelou – Stamps, Arkansas Award-winning author, poet, actress and singer

Hubert Eugene “Geese” Ausbie – Little Rock, ArkansasFamed Harlem Globetrotter known as the “Clown Prince of Basketball”

Al Green – Jacknash, ArkansasGrammy Award winning gospel and soul singer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member

Lawrence Hamilton – Foreman, ArkansasBroadway performer, actor, singerTorii Hunter – Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Nine-time Golden Glove Award winner, Detroit Tigers outfielderJohn H. Johnson – Arkansas City, Arkansas

Founder of Negro Digest, Ebony and Jet magazinesJoe Johnson – Little Rock, Arkansas

Brooklyn Nets basketball proScott Joplin – Texarkana, Arkansas

Composer known as the “King of Ragtime”Haki R. Madhubuti – Little Rock, Arkansas

Best-selling African-American author, educator, and poetSidney Moncrief – Little Rock, Arkansas

“Super Sid”, basketball great played 11 seasons in the NBAScottie Pippen – Hamburg, Arkansas

Pippen is most remembered for his Chicago Bulls career having played with Michael JordanFlorence Beatrice Price – Little Rock, Arkansas

Considered to be the first African-American woman symphonic composer in the United StatesReese “Goose” Tatum – Calion, Arkansas

Best known as the Harlem Globetrotter’s first “Funny Man”Willie “Sonny Boy” Williamson – Resided in Twist and Helena, Arkansas

Delta blues artist who inspired the annual tradition that has become Helena’s King Biscuit Blues Festival

Visit Arkansas.com/Uniquely-Arkansas/Famous-Arkansans for a complete list of famous Arkansans.