Six Central Arkansas communities share their African American history in an effort to help recover and preserve it

Damita Markes of Little Rock examines one of the displays.
(Photo by Staci Vandagriff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

Arkansas 365 is a state highway that was once part of U.S. 65. It cuts through the heart of the state, from Conway to Little Rock to Pine Bluff, traversing many historic areas, including Black communities whose history has often been obscured or forgotten. To correct that, the Preservation of African American Cemeteries, an Arkansas nonprofit, launched "Project 365" with a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council. Over the weekend, leaders from six of the communities gathered for "The Big Reveal," reports Ashley Savage of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

"Those leading Project 365 hope to use cemetery transcriptions, slave narratives, oral history, church histories and photographs to better preserve African American history in the communities of Hensley, Woodson, Wrightsville, Higgins, Sweet Home and College Station," Savage reports, quoting Tamala Tenpenny-Lewis, president and co-founder of the cemeteries group: "There's not a lot of written history in these rural areas. Actually, there's really none at all. A collective history of the community is just not there."

Arkansas 365 (Wikipedia map)

Tenpenny-Lewis told Savage that the project is still seeking documentary materials, and the research relates directly to the reason her orgaization was founded: "We thought it was important to form this organization because there are so many cemeteries -- particularly in the rural South -- that are abandoned and in threat of destruction. So much of history is being lost."

The two-day presentation in the Wrightsville City Hall Gymnasium was titled "How cemeteries reveal the history of early Black communities." The event ended with luncheon for seniors who are helping with research and interviews. Ruth Hill, 93, "said she thinks efforts like Project 365 are crucial because it encourages younger people to get involved in learning and preserving the history that exists in their communities," Savage reports, quoting her: "In your past, there is somebody who has been outstanding. People are fascinated by it."