Friends of Elaine Meets June 17 to Listen, Learn, and Address Racism

Kenneth B. Bedell, Ph.D.

Friends of Elaine is a project of Ending Racism USA and the Elaine Legacy Center. An introduction to the project, along with other background material, is posted on the Ending Racism USA website.

The first meeting of Friends of Elaine will be Monday, June 17, at 6 p.m. CT on Zoom. Registration is required. Regular meetings will be held on the third Monday of each month. Even if you are not available for the first meeting, by registering you will receive a report and information about future meetings and opportunities.

The goals of Friends of Elaine (Arkansas) are to form a working group that:

  1. Learns about the history and current events in Elaine.
  2. Looks for ways to share that story with a larger audience.
  3. Engages with descendants of the 1919 massacre and other residents of Elaine to discover opportunities to participate with them in restoring Elaine to the prosperous community that existed before the 1919 massacre and to fulfill the aspirations the Black residents had in 1919 to be free from barriers that limited them socially, politically, and economically.

Each meeting will end promptly at 7 p.m. CT. The first half of the meeting will focus on developing the team that includes descendants of the 1919 massacre and others from around the country. We will address the first goal, learn about the history and current events in Elaine, Arkansas.

The second half of the meeting will focus on the second and third goals. We will engage with each other in discovering ways that the group can work together to share the story and support projects that address racism and economic oppression.

At the first meeting, Lenora Marshall, a descendant of the massacre and resident of Elaine, will share her story. She is the president of the Elaine Legacy Center. Then we will begin the process of working together by hearing from Elaine residents and discussing their ideas.

Friends of Elaine is a bold project for Ending Racism USA. We are challenging people who do not live in Elaine to engage with a community where racism erects barriers for residents to fulfill their personal aspirations. More than engaging by learning about the impact of the 1919 massacre and racism today, we propose to cross geographical and cultural boundaries through technology so that together we are not just talking about racism, but addressing racism.

There is much to learn. This is an example of jumping into the deep end of the pool before we know how to swim. But, if we can all be honest with each other, hold each other accountable, act boldly, and strive to be a beloved community, Friends of Elaine will not only be a blessing to the people and community of Elaine, Arkansas, we can also discover a path that others can follow.