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Where is the Black Church?
by Deborah Springer Suttlar
April 4, 2025
Zora Neale Hurston, “if you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.
During times such as these, “Where is the Black Church?” I grew up in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Little Rock. My grandfather, Rev. Horace Lloyd Springer, Sr., was an AME minister who died prior to my birth. I was told that he was an activist in the community who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of African Americans.
As a child, my parents nurtured my faith in the AME Church and my activism was emboldened by the stories of my grandfather’s zeal for justice and equality. My other muse was Harriett Tubman, who along with others, rose up with God’s help to fight against oppression. However, I am concerned with the lack of social activism not only within the AME Church, but all churches in the African American community. It is times like these that we need the “church” to rise for strong activism regarding the godless, racism and unethical acts inflicted on the people of America by this new administration.
The African Methodist Church was founded by Richard Allen, along with others who focused on organizing a denomination in which free Black people worshiped without racial oppression and those enslaved could worship freely and with dignity. This denomination also worked to address the social issues of the day which included the abolishment of slavery, addressing the unequal social status of Black people, literacy, and strategizing for political power. I question where is the Black Church involvement regarding the current crisis that is unfolding in America today? Why is the Black Church not vocal or active in protesting the inhumane treatment of citizens, the outright racism of Anti- DEI, loss of employment of Federal workers, and all the other atrocities which we face under this Republican Regime which has taken over our country? Oh, I know about the boycotts. But what about conducting Town Halls, present for protest, educating our communities about voting rights and voter education about the issues? Where is this activism? The issues we are facing are larger than a mere boycott of purchasing power. We are facing genocide.
Let me be specific, Black people have always been a people with faith in God which led us to not only trust God but fight for our civil rights and the human rights God gave us. God is not a white man! As followers of God, we must fight against evil, and what we are experiencing is evil. The Black Church was once that beacon of spiritual enlightenment which was not afraid to “call out” the evil and racism which is systemic in American Society. Where is that zeal, we once had to address the evils that work against the “Word” of God? We must revive it.
I often wonder if we have become too comfortable with our lives and don’t know how to fight anymore? We must rise as people of God who know right from wrong. What we are witnessing is wrong! Let me be clear, the church has a responsibility to God to do what is right. If we don’t, then we are not of God. We honor our Lord and Savior by doing as he asks, feed my sheep. This means more than food and clothing, it means helping those who are in need and addressing their concerns. People are suffering, people are angry, people are lost, people need to know that God is with them, and he will save us, if we walk with Him. What we truly need are spiritual leaders who lead us against this evil. Those who say that they were called as God’s servants, need to step up and step out. Remember the three (3) boys who were pushed into the fiery furnace because they rebelled and refuse to honor an evil “King” who wanted them to obey his laws and serve his god. Do I need to remind everyone that this current president has committed sacrilege? He has misrepresented God’s Word (bible) by making his own, among other atrocities. Think about that? We have a heathen as president, and he is evil to the core. He promotes racism and racism is a sin!
We need to see and hear from the leaders of the “Black Church” and any church which follows the word of God and are true followers of Jesus Christ. God expects us to confront this evil and we must do that by “showing up for our God.” We are the children of God, and he expects us to deny actions of evil against His children. All we must do is stand up and God will do the rest. He always has. This is not the time to be fearful of evil, when we have a Sovereign God who cannot be defeated.
Rise people of God, speak up and represent the God we say we serve.
Micah 2:1 “Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds.”
Harriett Tubman said, “I said to the Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to you, and I know you will see me through.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
I am personally grateful for Dr. Nellums and all the writers of Talk Black Arkansas, who use their “pens” to express our stories and the issues which affect our lives. The Pen is our sword and God is our shield.
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a social and community advocate, and a long-time supporter of public schools.
opinions
Clichés That Stick with Us
by Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
March 4, 2025
About these clichés that stick with, I said stick with me, but I really want to say with us, because some of the clichés that I will talk about, is not just in my lexicon, of what I say, this is in the mind of others. I want to break these down in three parts, the first part of those clichés that we can pass on to our children, grandchildren and even our young friends. The second clichés that I want to talk about are those I don’t want to relate to, and I’ll talk about some of those. The third part will be those clichés I live with or are a part of my life; not only on a day-to-day basis, but they are just part of who I am. They may not be something that occurs every day, but when they do there is something I need, and I will certainly do that and have a brief discussion on each one of these areas.
In doing my research, instead of appreciating it, I found there was some negativity that has been noted on those of us who use clichés.
I hope there is not a new word for some of y’all, but I’m reminded of my son he says, daddy the older that I get the more these clichés seem to come to bear to me, and so even in this negativity, I bring this up so that I won’t be one sided on this piece, and just say that all clichés are good are using them and sometime you’ll see when I talk about the negativity, some people talk in clichés all the time rather than talking straight. I want to lift up these as a reality that we all face sometime.
I don’t know what group to put these negative things per se, about clichés but I do want to lift them up. But I also want to say to us who do use these sometimes, I pray we do use them at an appropriate time. I want to categorize these six negativities, and they:
· Lack originality
· Bring about a perception of laziness in language
· Can be very dull and uninspiring
· Their impact is diminished because they seem redundant
· Can be vague and unspecific
· Can have a negative cultural impact because it’s not viewed the same by all people
That’s the cultural reality I want to bring in, so that as I go through these clichés that I want to talk about, the clichés I want to pass on, the ones I don’t want and the clichés that I do want. I want to try to be balanced on this so, let’s talk about the clichés we can pass on or have been passed on to us. I’ll give you three of them, and then I’ll talk about them.
Ok, let’s talk about “Birds of a feather flock together.” I think about my Niece, she was going to school, and I won’t identify the college, it’s a great college and I won’t even talk about the time period. She was in a situation with one of her friends, my Niece was in the car when the friend went into a department store and stole some stuff. The security guard came out and did not capture the young lady but saw the car she was in got the license number; and the police were able to secure that and came up with the young lady. When they got the young lady and this is really bad language, but she got “diarrhea of the mouth”! She just started talking and naming everybody, and of course she named my Niece as being in the car. So, when the police investigated this, they named my Niece as being part of the stealing group! My Niece said, “I had nothing to do with that, I’m just sitting in the car waiting on her to come back out, and she came back out acting normal, so I did not think she had done anything. What I’m saying is, those are the kind of birds you don’t want to be flocking with! Even today, the way the law reads circumstantially she could have been in jail!
I had somebody with the same situation, but I guess the wrong cliché. The better cliché for this would be “The wrong place with the wrong person” so I won’t even talk about it. Then, that “birds of a feather flock together” that same bird and my son, have helped me when we talk about the ‘Bell Curve’ and the height of the Bell Curve in the middle, that’s the top. As the Bell Curve slops down, on one end there is a 10% bad group and there is a 10% good group. What you want to do as I pass this along to the young people, is you want to be with that group that is flocking higher!
I’ve been blessed with all three of my children, all three of them graduated from college. I think my oldest son had the highest CPA, and it’s still questionable today. He graduated Magna Cum Laude, but his score was 3.75, which should have been Summa Cum Laude, any way I’m getting into some technical stuff. Summa Cum Laude is any degree over 3.5, but what I’m saying is, whoever they were flocking with, they were on the upper side of the Bell Curve! I say that to say this, know the birds of a feather who flock together. That same philosophy and mentality even goes with us who are preachers, there are certain preachers from which we get comfort being around them, and there are certain preachers we are not around. It could be somebody that has the same job or title you have they could be athletically in sports. I won’t beat a dead horse, I think I’ve done enough of this. If I’m relating to young folks, get with someone on a positive mode, get with somebody that wants to really make a difference for themselves in the world. When you hear somebody use that cliché, “birds of a feather flock together,” it means you are with those people who can really make a difference in your life.
Then, “It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Thelma McAdoo, that’s my daddy’s name, I think I’ve said this more than once, here is a little quick analysis, it’s almost like “A Boy Named Sue.” My mother was named Talitha, my Daddy was named Thelma, when I would go somewhere they would say “what’s your mother’s name, I said, Talitha and they would say what’s your daddy’s name, I would say Thelma, and they would say “boy?” so, I would say, I said his name is Thelma, go ahead and put it down, don’t start to mess with me! That’s why Thelma said, “it’s never too late to do the right thing” that’s what I tried to pass on to my kids, I try to live it out myself.
I was talking to someone recently and we were talking about Methodist preachers. I think it also goes with some folks, the sense of entitlement, that people feel they are entitled. I’ve been blessed I got a lot of stuff, when somebody does something good for me, I try to acknowledge that with a phone call or a thank you note. I don’t know if that is part of a going culture now, but it’s never too late! I did a consultation two weeks ago, and I’ve been meaning to send some thank you letters to the people who attended, and I’ve not done that yet, but it will be done this week. What I want to say is, it’s never too late to do the right thing, it’s not just in terms of a thank you for what someone has done for you. If you think you need to say something to someone to affirm them for what they have done, it’s never too late and the good part about this whole understanding is that you don’t get tied up in a time lapse where you say, “it’s been a month so. . . listen, I don’t want to get theological folks, but remember there is no time in the Kingdom. Think about it I’m just kinda putting some stuff out there, remember, there is no clock in heaven, I’ll leave it alone I’m through with that now.
The third thing is, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” I decided not to put this is the category to pass on, but I do think many young Americans, (and this is on “Black Talk Arkansas”) don’t have a vision that has hope in it. I’ve been blessed with back-to-back blessings. Also, I wasn’t aggressive, but I was to the extent that, when I came to college, I said to myself I was going to get a degree and a wife, and in four years I had both. I didn’t go to summer school. Some semesters I took an overload of classes. I hustled to do whatever I could to make sure I didn’t have to go to summer school. My vision was to go to college and to graduate. My vision on jobs was a little different. It was, “I appreciate you hiring me, but I want you to know, the same way I got this job is the same way I can get another one.” That was my vision, I’m not going be there and take whatever. In all the jobs I left it was not for cause, but I got fired a couple of times. I remember one time I got fired, I was an instructor in a Jr. College and a new person came in and it was kind of like what’s going on now in the government, he got rid of anybody he didn’t know! Come to find out, he couldn’t find anyone to teach the class, and he had to ask me to come back, so I went back.
My vision on both ends was to set myself in a place where I could do something for myself and my family. Also, my vision was to always be independent enough to be a provider and take care of myself. I’ve been blessed enough to do day work. What’s ‘day work’? That’s when you don’t have a job at the moment, and you are going to sign up at the day work spot. The blessing was, if you worked eight hours you got a little incentive and got a car, and there’s a lot of things that go with that. I say all that to say, be resilient. Part of my vision to pass on to young folks is, be at a spot in your life where you can take care of yourself and others.
These are the clichés that I do want to pass on in a direct way, and the first one is, “Everything happens for a reason.” We said that in church a lot of times, but I tell you that’s hard to deal with. That is really hard to deal with! I know there is not some counter-theological bumpers to that. However, I know that God does take care of us and has us in a certain place. Sometimes there is a reasonableness of how things happen. I want to stress the reasonableness because that is more of a legal understanding. In other words, does it have reason to it? That is how some lawyers look at certain things. I don’t know in my life, and those of you who are reading this may have your own perspective on it, but in my life, I don’t think everything happens for a reason. I think that sometimes we put ourselves in a situation where things happen and then we rationalize them by saying there was a reason for it. Like if someone was speeding and they have an accident at 100 miles an hour. Then we might say, “Well, everything happens for a reason.” I don’t know about that. The speed limit was only seventy, so why were you going 100? I’m just throwing this out there. Even for myself, when stuff happens and you put yourself in a situation, rationalization is that reasonableness. For myself, I still don’t have a real good feeling for that cliché, so I don’t say it.
The third cliché is, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” that sure sounds good. But I can sure go to the Bible on that. Luke says all the time sometimes you just have the will, and you don’t have the way.
The clichés I like to live by In ‘Black Talk Arkansas,’ we say, “Black don’t crack.” That, for us, is a cultural reality. We go through a lot of stuff that would have broken a lot of folk’s heart and spirit. I think back years ago (it may have been in the ‘50’s) the first time I even heard the word suicide. There was an African American friend who was real smart. He was in Washington D.C., and he was passed over for a job and ended up committing suicide. I asked, “What did he do to himself?” They tried to explain it to me, and I couldn’t figure it out.
They’ve been messing with us and doing this and that, and we just keep on pushing. I was talking later about Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, but I have to throw Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions there, “Keep on Pushing.” Those of you who don’t know, get on Google, and find “Keep on Pushing,” cause it’s one of those songs, I can’t stop now. In other words, a lot of folks thought we should have been at that level. I’m back with Curtis Mayfield now. The Impressions also had a song called, “This is My Country.” Whereas not only Black don’t crack, but we take it for real that this is part of our cultural heritage. God bless, and I know it’s part of African migration, but I’m here in America and being who I am, I’m trying to be as positive as I can about who I am and what I am and the whole part about me culturally is, and we have gentrification where we have all kinds of races moving into every community, and we also have a lot of mixing of the races now. That means, not only Black don’t crack, but if White and Black come together, then they come up with a Mulatto-ism that don’t crack. And if Asian and Black get together, and whoever else does, then we go back to Genesis and remember that we were all made in the image of God. What I’m trying to say in all of this is, it isn’t that Black don’t crack, it’s that God’s People don’t crack. Because we are all made in God’s image.
Now I go back to the music part. This is a dual thing in one sense. These two songs that have to do with Marvin Gaye, are like a cliché. We say to each other, “What’s happening?” and “What’s going on?” Get back on Google and look up “What’s going on” and you’ll find that’s an introductory cliché that says a whole lot. When you say, “What’s going on?” you’re not just talking about what’s
happening now. The whole concept of what’s going on doesn’t have a negative connotation, but sometimes people don’t know what is stressing you out. And when they say, “What’s going on?” you want to say, “None of your _____ business!” Because there are some days, we don’t even want to deal with what other people think about what’s going on. For me, I am dealing with my own grief or other things. But “What’s going on” or “What’s happening” is part of how we relate to one another because we are not talking about the moment.
We are really talking about how is your family doing, how are you doing in school, how are things at work, how are your children? It is a big conceptual piece, and that’s why I call some people sometime. I say, “Hey, let me give you a Marvin Gaye.” They say, “What do you mean?” I say, I’m just asking “What’s happening. What’s going on?” Sometimes it relaxes folks, and sometimes it puts people on the other side, and they think you’re trying to meddle.
Sometimes it’s a little of both, because we are trying to meddle a little bit: did they really divorce, did they lose the house, did they lose their job. but it has a positive spin to it. So, when I say, ‘what’s happening,’ I just want to know how you are doing, what’s going on with you and your family.
The last saying I will lift up is, I may call you and say, “Let me Stevie Wonder you.” And you may ask, what does that mean? Well, Stevie had a song that says, “I just called to say I love you.” And sometimes, particularly for my family (I don’t say it to single women or even to married women that aren’t my family, because I can’t Stevie Wonder them, or I’ll get in trouble!) I say it to my kids and grandkids, and they know I just called to say I love them.
Grace and Peace,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church
opinions
Transitions Are a Reality
by Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
March 29, 2025
This year, 2025, is a great year of transitions, I say that emphatically! I hope that will not be a surprise to anyone. The reason I want to single this year out, is because 2025, just like every year and all the years we have had, are transition years. Sometimes when we do not make the year a Hallelujah year, we absolutely miss out on moments of what we each could bring to the world and what we could get from the world.
Transitions for me fall into two general categories: Seeking and Information Technology. There are four sections, related to “Seek.” I set ‘transition’ in both areas, to help us look at what we can do for ourselves as well as what we can pass on to others. The number of areas could be a much greater number for others, but I ask you to be patient with me because these are “McAdooisms.” You have your plans, and I have mine, so these are my transitions.
Seeking is personal, I want to stress that search, done in a positive way, is good for all of us at some point in our lives. Perhaps this is not your approach, but it may be mine and others. If you have a better way to appreciate doing your search, you should do that. Our lives change so much, and transition happens so fast, it could catch us at a time when we are not ready to search.
I lift up my grandson’s accidental death as one of those times. “I had to seek for my soul,” my true inner-self to keep on living. The news that makes me look at what happens to young men and older men when they have accidents. There was recently an accident in Arkansas when a young man called a mother, and said he and her son had been in an ATV accident. He was able to get to the phone and call that mother, when the Paramedics got there, unfortunately the young man he was with had been killed in the accident. This event comes to my heart to reach out in prayer and contemplation for all accidental deaths. I know it not only affects that family, but it also affects me! Not all searches will be so dramatic, but they do occur.
Seeking for Spirituality is a human quest for all time, and a human expectation for all time. The answer for our human seeking is our way to find a path of self-discovery. Self-discovery is one way that enables us to live on and live out our lives. Who are we in times of transition? We are looking for self-discovery. I pray and believe we wake up a new person every day. My seeking is to find the spirit within myself and from the gods, (lower g-gods,) and the God who leads and heals my life. I have in a couple of those self-discovery moments found some good tracks of where God has enabled me to look within myself, because of the situation that is happening.
I remember one miracle incident, and I call it a miracle because I was there when it was happening! When I was carrying the mail in Little Rock in a certain area, there were some hills and I asked myself, was I going to deliver the mail to the bottom of this hill? I carried the mail back in the ‘70’s, in those days you carried the mail everywhere. So, I said to myself, “I’ll carry the mail down to this place, I remember to this very moment!
I started going down this hill and there was this giant commercial trash container, and I started slipping and sliding and I closed my eyes, waiting for me to hit it. Instead, God picked up that trash container, (and I did not hit it,) and that was not the beginning of my life story. However, within the next year I did accept the call to the ministry. Accepting my call was not part of the miracle, because miracles happen to us at all times whether we realize it or not. I know with God all things are possible! The transition from that is just as powerful as it could be from a word.
There are all kinds of trials and tribulations we may go through in our transitional seeking. The transitional seeking for information technology is that technology is seeking us more than we are seeking it, because it finds us, and finds that some of us are not in the 21st Century! This whole piece in my life is, I have tried hard, and I realize now, it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks! I use to hear folks say that all the time, and in last week’s article it was about Vintage Values, and it’s hard to teach an old dog that’s been going right all his life to go left!
Just know that information technology is blazing an area of transition, and it’s almost to the point if we don’t get involved in it, we are putting ourselves in another generation. Keep in mind, if we don’t understand information technology, we can’t turn our TV on, we can’t drive our vehicle, and we don’t know how to show and manage an elevator!
I was at a motel recently, you have to come in, you got to put your elevator key here, you got to hit this and hit that – just all kind of things! We don’t know how to order food! I don’t know how many of you shop at Kroger’s, but they have got a lot of stuff on sale, they take digital coupons and if you don’t know how to manage a digital coupon you are in trouble! Then, you may not understand the dynamics of your financial institution, and how all that works. Sometime, when they send you your bank statement you can’t hardly read it! This thing of ordering food on the Apps now, that’s got so popular you drive up to the window and they say, “did you call in on your app”? You say, my app? I don’t have an app to call in on, I came up to this window to talk, to do that! In so many ways information technology is catching up with us in one sense, and it's already caught a lot of us in many different ways.
You might consider this, at night go through your house and see how much stuff is on. You see a light on by your phone, one by your freezer, another light on by this and that. All of this is consuming energy, and they monitor that! The technology is such that next month I get a letter from the energy company saying you use more energy than everybody on your block! I asked how do you know that? They are keeping up with information technology! I won’t go into all the information technology personal stuff, but you have to be careful who you are talking to, because if they can get you with information technology, they can kick you out of town!
Love,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired district Superintendent in the United Methodist Church.
opinions
TRUMP FASCISM IS THE HATEFUL FAITHFUL CURSE ON THE UNITED STATES
by Wendell Griffen
March 29, 2025
Hateful Faithful theology and politics are the software of Republican Party fascism since 1968, but began a generation earlier with gangster capitalist support for Billy Graham.
In chapter 2 of his 2021 book, Decolonizing Christianity: Becoming Badass Believers, Miguel De La Torre, professor of ethics and Latinix Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado, traced the recent history behind the threat to democracy and justice in the United States. De La Torre observed that proponents of the Social Gospel told the nation and business leaders that the 1929 economic collapse that produced the Great Depression was caused by capitalist greed. President Franklin Roosevelt used “religious jargon to sell his New Deal, which was picked up by liberal ministers throughout the nation and preached from their pulpits.”
But business leaders were inspired by Rev. James W. Fifield during the 1940 National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Fifield preached against the sins of the New Deal and countered that salvation from the collapse could be found through free enterprise and deregulation.
According to Fifield, business leaders were not responsible for the Great Depression, but were the nation’s saviors.
Miguel De La Torre then added the following historical perspective.
During his talk, Fifield – nicknamed “The Apostle to Millionaires” – suggested clergy would be the key to regaining the upper hand in the capitalist struggle against Roosevelt’s liberal policies and dictatorial tendencies. This watershed moment made Christianity and capitalism soulmates in white America’s imagination under the phrase “under God,” which they then set out to popularize. Moving forward, the United States would henceforth be known as a Christian nation.
“J. Howard Pew, president of Sun Oil, along with his brother Joseph N., despised Roosevelt and their former business competitor John D. Rockefeller, whose brand of ecumenism, interdenominationalism, and internationalist Protestantism that prioritized science and reform, was leading the nation, they believed, toward secularism. Committed to Fitfield’s work by the mid-1940’s, outsourcing the task of persuading citizens to embrace capitalist ideology to the church. Later, they would back an obscure tent-revivalist preacher and fiercely pro-capitalist named Billy Graham. Called by Pew, not God, Graham railed against all liberal social programs – the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society – during his crusades. Social ills such as racism would not be remedied by government, Graham preached. Their solution could be manifested only with the second coming of Christ.”[1]
De La Torre writes that Graham and other white Christian nationalist “visionaries” “cemented a nationalist Christianity that merged the state with the growing power of a group of wealthy white male capitalists who were steadfastly opposed to the Social Gospel” and whose goal “was the Christianization of government, business, education, media, family, entertainment, and religion through the creation of a quasi-democratic theocracy.”[2]
The result of their efforts to achieve that goal is shown by the events of the final decades of the 20th Century.
“The 1950s until the start of the new millennium was the golden age of white Christianity within the United States. The tentacles of nationalist Christianity spread and flourished under the tutelage of Billy Graham, Abraham Vereide, and Doug Coe – avatars for white capitalist men. These early religious superstars were called to strengthen a quasi-religious ideology that ensured the profit, power, and privilege of the few. With the Nixon administration of the early 1970s, a move away from Eisenhower’s civil religion was in full force. Nixon, with Billy Graham’s support, used Christian nationalism to divide rather than unite people by branding antagonists to his war in Vietnam or his administration as foes to Christian values. The cultural wars that would consume the 1980s, bringing about national discord still being felt today, found their footing when Nixon and Graham separated the faithful (those committed to their cause) from the ungodly, secular unfaithful. Basically, white conservative Christians began to flex their political muscles to ensure the phrase “under God” referred only to them.”[3]
The present state of the United States and the world is the result of the unholy union between the free-market fundamentalism and Christian nationalism mentioned by Miguel De LaTorre and the “giant triplets” of racism, materialism, and militarism that Martin Luther King Jr. denounced as heresies to divine imperatives of love and justice. That unholy union has driven U.S. politics and policies for the past three generations. For example, the twenty-year U.S. military misadventure in Afghanistan – the longest war in U.S. history – resulted from bloodlust, Western hubris, white supremacy and racism, conservative pseudo-Christian nationalist imperialism, and capitalist greed.
Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Tony Perkins, Phyllis Schlafly, Richard Land, Paige Patterson, Robert Jeffress, Albert Mohler, James Dobson, Franklin Graham, and Mike Huckabee have been the leaders of what I term the Hateful Faithful. They did not challenge the war in Afghanistan, but cheered and counseled politicians to support it. Instead of denouncing capitalist greed, they courted its perpetrators and held them up as examples of piety and virtue.
And as the world watches an ongoing genocide by Israel of Palestinians in Gaza, Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, violence, and land theft in the Occupied West Bank, and Israeli military aggression against Lebanon and Syria, the Hateful Faithful are cheering fascist actions to stifle protests by students, academicians, and other people. “Good evangelical Christians” who support and are complicit in zionist racism and support the Israeli regime are part of a long and bitter history of white evangelical devotion to injustice.
Hateful Faithful theology is the moral and political software for the Republican Party. Hateful Faithful pietists provided the votes that elected Ronald Reagan (twice), George H. Bush, George W. Bush (twice), and Donald Trump (twice in separate decades). Hateful Faithful capitalists sacralized Donald Trump’s sociopathy, greed, racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia, commercial fraud, Islamophobia, and bigotry against immigrants. Hateful Faithful pietists worship in the virtual temple of Rubert Murdoch’s Fox News enterprise.
Hateful Faithful people who crow about “family values” are the biggest political supporters of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. They opposed vaccination mandates that saved the lives of millions in the United States during the worst period of the Covid pandemic. The Hateful Faithful disparage critical thinking and support suppressing dissent. They unfailingly endorse gangster capitalism, militarism, imperialism, glorification of technocentrism (and the uber-wealthy capitalists who finance it), fear-mongering, bigotry, the politics of bullying women and girls, indigenous, Black, Asian, and Latino people, and injustice against workers.
Hateful Faithful hypocrisy is exceeded only by Hateful Faithful ruthlessness. So, people who claim to follow the Biblical obligation to love God with all their minds, souls, bodies, and strength have no qualms about stifling critical thinking about history, law, economics, and sociology.
They have no qualms about closing the federal Department of Education, and no qualms about defunding public education.
They supported installing a vaccine denier (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
They backed installing someone with no formal education, professional experience, or demonstrated competence in educational pedagogy, administration, or policy (Linda McMahon) as Secretary of Education.
People who profess to follow the Palestinian Jewish rabbi named Jesus - who taught that knowing the truth makes one free - support bombing Palestinian schools, culture centers, mosques, and health services buildings.
And people who claim to believe that justice involves caring for vulnerable people, as Jesus did, blatantly support defunding domestic and global governmental efforts to fight hunger, eliminate diseases, and protect the climate.
Hateful Faithful fascism curses the United States economy, disrespects the rule of law domestically and globally, terrorizes people who want peace, and now poisons the entire world. If anyone thinks this will make the United States more powerful, let alone peaceful, that person is probably part of the Hateful Faithful.
They are Hateful, Faithful, proud, ruthless, committed to overthrowing democracy, and will succeed in doing so, unless we stop them.
[1] De La Torre, supra, pp. 28-29.
[2] De La Torre, p. 30.
[3] De La Torre, pp. 31-32.I
www.fierceprophetichope.blogspot.com
www.wendellgriffen.blogspot.com
Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Arkansas
pastorgriffen@newmillenniumchurch.us
CEO, Griffen Strategic Consulting, PLLC
www.griffenstrategicconsulting.com
griffenstrategicconsulting@gmail.com
Co-Chair, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Hope fiercely. Love boldly.
Love one another. Jesus of Galilee, Palestine
We will find a way or make one. Hannibal of Carthage
Writing is how I fight. James H. Cone.
The time for pious words is over. Allan Aubrey Boesak
Justice is a verb!
https://fierceprohetichope.blogspot.com/2024/01/this-is-why-donald-trump-is-barred-from.html
opinions
FROM BAD TO WORSE OR ELSE
by Wendell Griffen
March 22, 2025
The United States experience with Donald Trump’s second term as president is almost 60 days old. In two months, the nation under Trump’s leadership has alienated, threatened, and is now in a trade war with Canada and Mexico. We are estranged from our nearest neighbors and economic allies.
In two months, our nation has alienated and isolated itself from other nations in the North America Treaty Organization (NATO). Our nation has withdrawn its military and intelligence support to Ukraine. Instead, Trump has aligned the United States with Russia, the chief military and political threat to Europe and Ukraine.
In two months, our nation has threatened the sovereignty of Greenland and Panama. Those nations provide vital transportation (shipping) and other services for the Western Hemisphere.
In two months, the United States has experienced the worst outbreak of measles in decades. The stock markets have suffered heavy losses. Prices of household items and food have risen.
In two months, the United States has become more of a pariah than a partner concerning human rights, global security, environmental protection, and goodwill.
In two months, federal workers who protect public health, enforce federal laws on education, justice, defense, the arts, labor relations, and administering global aid and anti-poverty efforts have been summarily fired or furloughed, without cause and contrary to federal laws. Trump’s cabinet Secretary for Education has no prior education or experience in education policy and administration. His Justice Department leadership are loyal to him, not the Constitution of the United States.
Federal judges have blocked or overturned some of Trump’s actions, such as his attempts to fire everyone employed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As you read this essay, Trump has already demanded the impeachment of a federal judge who ordered the administration to not remove immigrants from the country without court orders.
By the way, Trump officials removed the immigrants anyway, claiming that they are members of a criminal gang. That allegation has not been supported by proof in any court proceeding that I know about. Have you seen it? Nor has any judge.
The Trump administration claims that deportation of the Venezuelan immigrants was done for national security reasons supported by classified evidence. But the federal courts have procedures for reviewing sensitive and classified material. Trump officials are more interesting in impeaching federal judges who interpret the Constitution according to the rule of law than in producing any evidence - classified or not - that proves any of the Venezuelan immigrants - not to mention hundreds of them - have done anything wrong.
Things will get worse. Eventually, innocent people will die from Trump’s policies and malicious leadership. Correction: more innocent people will die. We should never forget that millions of people were infected by the Covid virus during Trump’s first term as president. More than 400,000 people died in less than a year before voters fired Trump and Joe Biden became president.
Eventually more people will lose their jobs. More children and adults will die from preventable illnesses. Other people who protest Trump will be assaulted, detained, and removed from their families, neighborhoods, and confined in U.S. prisons and places of detention outside the U.S. The Trump administration will pay private prison contractors to house, clothe, feed, and mistreat then.
Trump now threatens the lives, liberty, and peace of millions of people across the United States and elsewhere. He will not voluntarily stop doing so. Instead, he will become more menacing, hateful, and vicious. Why? He is a sociopath.
The United States is at war with itself. Trump’s presidency is the worst threat to democracy and national security since the Civil War ended in 1865. Over 600,000 people died in that war.
How many people will die this time? How many others will be forever scarred? How many people will lose their homes, life savings, and their hope for justice?
What will you do about what is happening to our nation and the world because of Donald Trump’s Republican Party regime, which Baptist historian Bill Leonard has accurately dubbed “the Southern Baptist Convention at prayer”?
Will you oppose this fascist, racist, gangster capitalist, imperialist, techno-centrist, sexist, violent threat to our country, the world, and our posterity? Will you resist it? Will you defy Trump’s cruel aim to become a king? Or will you watch the death of democracy in the United States?
Trump’s war on democracy and our nation is not imminent. It is underway! It will not end until his political and capitalist gangsters have been ousted and replaced by people who love democracy, justice, liberty, truth, and peace. Expect resistance from fake Christians, so-called Christian and Jewish zionists, billionaire gangsters (Elon Musk, his technocratic buddies, Heritage Foundation funders), and other “hateful faithful” people of all stripes, income categories, and locations.
We must do that hard work. We need to do it with all our powers. Fear is not an excuse. Failure is not an option. We must fight for democracy or we will lose it.
From bad to worse is up to you and me, not Trump. The “or else” involves our fight to save democracy, and the future of the United States. Get accustomed to seeing, hearing, and repeating those words. Fight, organize, agitate, dissent, and resist however you can, all the time, with as many others as you can find.
We’re in a fight against people who have railed for generations against democracy, inclusion, justice, liberty, peace, and truth. This is no time for faint hearts, weak minds, timid actions, and pious words.
Wendell Griffen is the author of Parables, Politics, and Prophetic Faith published by (Nurturing Faith, (2023) and
The Fierce Urgency of Prophetic Hope (Judson Press, (2017). He is also an ordained minister and former elected judge.
www.fierceprophetichope.blogspot.com
www.wendellgriffen.blogspot.com
Pastor, New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Arkansas
pastorgriffen@newmillenniumchurch.us
CEO, Griffen Strategic Consulting, PLLC
www.griffenstrategicconsulting.com
griffenstrategicconsulting@gmail.com
Co-Chair, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
opinions
Now It’s Everybody Because No One Spoke Up
by Deborah Springer Suttlar
March 22, 2025
My opinion for this week is to reflect on this famous saying listed below by pastor Martin Niemoller.
First, they came for the Communists.
And I did not speak out.
Because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out.
Because I was not a socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out.
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out.
Because I was not a Jew
These next verses reflect the times:
Then they came for the Palestinians
And I did not speak out.
Because I was not a Palestinian.
Then they came for People of color
And I did not speak out.
Because I was not a person of color.
Then they came for the immigrants/migrants
And I did not speak out.
Because I was not an immigrant or migrant
And then they came for me
And there was no one left.
To speak out for me
Today, silence is not an option. Resistance is necessary. We must speak up and show up. We cannot sit or wait for others to fight against this ungodliness, lawlessness, fascism, and this economic systemic assault on the American people. This fight belongs to all of us. This administration is controlled by a vindictive maniac who is destroying the government of the United States of America. Trump and the Republicans have lost their concept of democracy, justice and are now making “Hate Great Again.” This Anti-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion propaganda campaign is nothing but Racism and Segregation Project 2025. Rise up! Make a difference by contacting your representatives to voice your disdain, attend Town Hall meetings and participate in demonstrations. The fight is real! We can not afford to become victims of this racist lunacy; we must be the “change agents.”
We all must remain in prayer for God to give us the victory over this ungodliness. These actions of this Trumpian Racist, Bigoted Regime is all against the words and life of Jesus Christ. It is evil and they reflect the absence of love for people. Trump is the new Hitler!
“Love thy neighbor as thy self.” This scripture remains God’s command, and the Church is ignoring it. There are only two choices, good or evil. Evil is clearly defined, something that is morally bad, wicked, or harmful, causing suffering or misfortune, a force that opposes good.
Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of the evil in the heavenly realms.”
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a community activist and longtime supporter of public schools.
opinions
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY: 10th Week- 95thGeneral Assembly
By Joy C. Springer
March 22, 2025
As the 2025 Regular Session of the Arkansas General Assembly ends its 10th week, the House has been advancing legislation designed to address infrastructure, election processes, and public health. One of the bills to pass this week was HB1681, which establishes the Water and Sewer Treatment Facilities Grant Program. This initiative creates a $50 million matching grant system aimed at improving water and sewer infrastructure across the state. With 80% of the funding allocated to "shovel-ready" projects, and the remaining 20% directed towards small towns and rural systems serving fewer than 1,200 customers, the program seeks to ensure that communities have the resources needed to address critical water and sewer needs.
The grants will be funded by interest earnings from state funds. Another piece of legislation approved was SB307. It is entitled as an Act to amend the law concerning public utilities designed to generate jobs for Arkansans thus increasing economic development. In my opinion, it is needed to replace the loss of power supply in Arkansas as two major power plants are closing in Pine Bluff and Newark, Arkansas. We learned during committee meetings that several companies have opted not to relocate in Arkansas due to the lack of power supply. Passing this bill will not cause your utility rates to go up, they were going to go up anyway due to the closing of the plants previously mentioned.
This bill allows utility companies to implement incremental rate adjustments as they begin construction on investments aimed at increasing the state’s generation capacity. The House also passed several bills regarding the state's election processes. Among them was HB1574, which requires paid canvassers for statewide initiative or referendum petitions to be residents of Arkansas.
Another bill, in my opinion, designed to limit voting in our communities. In addition, HB1693 directs the State Board of Election Commissioners to establish rules for duplicating damaged or defective ballots. Additionally, SB304 passed, allowing voters to cast a ballot after changing their county of residence—provided their updated registration is received by the county clerk before polls close on election day. SB304, on its face, appears to be a reasonable piece of legislation.
HB1713 mandates that the Attorney General cannot certify a proposed ballot title if its reading level exceeds eighth grade, according to the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula.
What is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula? This method determines the readability of the ballot title text. Once again, another measure designed to limit voting in our communities. In response to growing concerns about the impact of social media on minors, HB1726 created the Arkansas Kids Online Safety Act. This bill requires technology platforms to take reasonable measures to protect minors from harmful content that could contribute to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse. I did agree to sign on as a co-sponsor of this bill. Finally, Senate Bill 246 (SB246), the companion bill to House Bill 1512 (ARKANSAS ACESS) was heard on the floor of the House this past Monday (March 17th). As previously stated, it is legislation, in my opinion, designed to afford more opportunities for those students who already have, thus limiting those students who do not have as much separate educational opportunities between students that in Arkansas.
The Educational Emergency continues
State Representative Joy C. Springer represents District 76 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Representative Springer previously served on the Little Rock School Board and is a long-time civil rights activist and supporter of equity in public education. She currently serves on the House Judiciary Committee and House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs committees. Additionally, she serves on the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) and the JBC Employee Benefits Division Oversight committee and as a 1st Alternate on the Legislative Joint Auditing committee.
opinions
LIFE DEVELOPMENT TIPS
by Dr. C.E. McAdoo
March 15, 2025
When I thought about Life Development Tips, I said to myself, it’s not that it bothers me. However, as I look at TV, most of the national shows will be on ABC, NBC, or CBS. They have these experts that are giving all these tips to people. They are telling them this and that, and I say to myself, “that’s what we do sitting around the table at my house or at the house of my friends.” I’m just reassuring you of something you may have already talked about within yourself, or I really believe this is something that your family has talked to you about, but I do want to talk about life’s development tips.
I guess I’m not a professional teacher, but I do like those teachers who go into the classroom, and if there is anything on the board, they wipe it all out, and they let us all start together, I know that’s “old school.” I know teachers today don’t use the board, but that’s what I grew up with. You get up there and the teacher might put an A and then put a dash in between to the Z, so we’re going go from A-to-Z. That’s what I feel our development tips are, but I’m not going to go from A to Z. I’m just going to touch on a few things.
The first one I want to talk about is the Tips for Talking, and for a person that is very outgoing, you might say what are the tips for talking? I would say the best tip is being a good listener. I’m going to say that again: “the best tip for talking is being a good listener.” I’ve been in those settings, and it has affected me personally where I’m in conversation with someone, and I’m thinking about what they are getting ready to say, rather than me listening to them! Not necessarily in my old age, but as I have tried to mature, I’ll say to myself, wait until they end their sentence, then if you want to say something, say something! That’s an expansive talking tip that not only helps in the house, because if me and my wife are talking about something, maybe a relative, it’s good to hear them out!
Often that enables us to talk better, because if we have a good understanding of what we have heard, it enables us to respond in a very positive way. So, a development tip I certainly want to pass on is a tip for talking and the best tip for talking is being a good listener!
There is no definite weight on any of these tips. The next tip I want to talk about is the Tip on Reassurance. I will put this in a personal mode. I know when my grandson passed and people would come up to me and ask how I was doing, we would normally always say, we’re doing fine. However, now I find that I’m tempted not to say that, because sometimes that’s not what people need.
They really don’t want us to ask them how they are doing. Even as I write this article, I don’t know what the best word is to use, but
I’m still dealing with my grandson’s death. The reassuring part is not always there for most folks, because everybody wants to say, “I’m fine and don’t want to get into a big scramble or see the same one. Once again, let me say one of the tips for reassurance is to know where people’s situation has been. You may not know where they are going, but if you kinda know where they have been, you’re able to talk in a general (not what’s the weather like), but you are able to talk in terms of letting them know you care about whatever they’re dealing with. Even though you can’t be close enough to know them, I now know enough to really be assuring in such a way that they feel you are being honorable and honest with them. The best way for me to reassure folks in a positive way is to do it through my inner actions and let them know that life goes on for both them and me.
The next tip I want to share is the Tip for Preparing. Many of you may or may not know I am an author, and the last book I wrote and had published was, Nobody Jumped Off the Boat, We are all in This Together.” The first chapter dealt with the art of preparing, you can go back and read the scriptures in Genesis about it, in other words, before they got on the boat they were preparing. We need to prepare ourselves for what is in front of us. As I write this article we are having a storm in Arkansas. You need to prepare yourself food-wise, warmth-wise, how to keep your water running and dealing with open spaces. So, that’s an important tip related to being prepared. There are a couple of sayings that help us remember the importance of preparing: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” also, Benjamin Franklin said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
I have two more tips I want to give, and one of those is a Tip for Staying in Touch. One of the best things that came out of the pandemic for me and my family was, we established a “Sunday afternoon gathering time,” when the family got together, at 5:00PM, through a zoom call. Sometimes there may be 10 of us, other times five or only three. What the pandemic did was to let us know we can give to one another in all kinds of ways. I’m old-school when it comes to how to contact folks. I was blessed as a District Superintendent, I always sent out a lot of letters. I had an excellent Administrative Assistant, Yvonne Nipper, and she knew how many letters I sent out! That’s one way to keep up with folks, just send them something in the mail! There are also other ways to keep in touch such as email, texting is good and telephoning folks. I believe the two best ways of contacting others are by a phone call and by writing a personal letter.
The last tip is, How We Support Young Folks. One way that I feel we should do that is to just find a place in your community where there are some young people. It may be in your church or in your neighborhood. Going back to past experiences, I was blessed to be in the Neighbors Association, and I would always say to the leadership, let some young folks come in here and say some things. There’s a different mindset with people over 50 years old, maybe people even under 30, but one way to do that is to ask their opinion on different things.
One way to be reassuring to our young folks is to talk about money, many of them look at money differently than we do. When you see their priorities and see ours, sometimes they match up and sometimes they don’t. You talk to young people about spirituality, and there are a lot of young folks now that want to know that there is a place of comfort in your life. Not the comfort of just saying I believe in God and think Jesus is welcome with me daily, but they want to know if you have the blessed assurance that Jesus is mine! They will know if you don’t, and they will tell you about it!
I think that “Blessed Assurance” was sung at my mother’s funeral and at my Auntie’s funeral and my mother’s twin, and was sung at my daddy’s funeral and it will be sung at mine.
So, I just wanted to give those development tips as we move on through 2025, and I pray that as you go through these tips, they will be things that you have already latched on to, because they are things that your parents have already given you in advance. Let’s have a great year and take these tips I have given you and pass them on to someone else!
Love,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church.
opinions
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY: 9th Week- 95th General Assembly
By Joy C. Springer
March 16, 2025
As the Arkansas House of Representatives entered the 9th week of the 2025 Regular Session, we once again ended the week with not so good news….
House Bill 1512 (HB1512)! Another bill designed, in my opinion, to separate the “haves” from the “have nots.” Two years ago, Arkansas Learns started this trend at the elementary and secondary levels of Arkansas’educational system and now we have Arkansas ACCESS for the state’s higher education levels. ACCESS, claiming to reform Arkansas' higher education system, the House once again overwhelmingly passed HB1512. For the record, I voted NO on HB 1512!
As a reminder, Arkansas ranks 38th in education, 37th in literacy, 41st in high school completion and 39th in college enrollment rates compared to states across the country. Yet, “the powers that be” have ignored our status by the introduction of new legislation that now attempts to censor student voices and eliminate every ounce of representation from our local communities and school districts.
HB1512 is allegedly designed to address critical issues surrounding access to education, affordability, and student success across the state, with its principles summarized in the acronym ACCESS: Acceleration, Common Sense, Cost, Eligibility, Scholarships, and Standardization as the core principles of the alleged higher education reform legislation. A summary of ACCESS as presented by its progenitors follows:
The Acceleration component of the ACCESS focuses on enhancing the readiness of high school students for higher education and future careers.
It aims to broaden accelerated coursework options in Arkansas high schools.
The Common-Sense provisions of the bill seek to foster unbiased learning environments in higher education. The bill also introduces the "Purple Star Campus" designation, recognizing institutions that support service members and military families.
Addressing Cost concerns, the ACCESS proposes reforming the funding model to encourage diverse educational pathways, including non-degree credentials. The bill introduces a new productivity-based funding model that factors in the return on investment for students.
The Eligibility section of the bill works toward creating uniformity and efficiency in college admissions. It expands the types of exams that can be used for college admissions. In terms of Scholarships, the ACCESS Act expands the Workforce Challenge Scholarship and increases the Arkansas Academic Challenge first-year award from $1,000 to $2,000.
However, in my opinion, ACCESS infringes upon students’ First Amendment Rights. It prohibits students from getting excused absences for advocating by appearing at the Legislature, protesting, or conducting walkouts. Students will be penalized for exercising their right to protest harmful bills such as ACCESS. In addition, college students could have
their degrees put on hold if they choose to speak out. Some amendments were made to this provision of the ACCESS; however, they were still met with much opposition, particularly from students, themselves. ACCESS jeopardizes equity programs for ALL students.
ACCESS prohibits nearly all DEI programs. A provision in the legislation that could potentially adversely impact student organizations, scholarships, and support centers for marginalized Arkansans including women, minority students and
international students.
ACCESS is gambling with our students' futures. Based upon the way that the legislation is written, schools would no longer be required to offer Advanced Placement classes—that help students get a head start on college material—most heavily impacting access to opportunity and mobility for our rural communities.
Finally, ACESS eliminates the seventeen member School Leadership Council that previously had representation from stakeholders across the state. ACCESS now proposed a five-member board that includes the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Commissioner of the Division of Higher Education, Commissioner of the Division of Career and Technical Education and finally the Chairmen of the House and Senate Education committees.
The Educational Emergency continues….
Rep. Joy C. Springer represents District 76 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Mrs. Springer previously served on the Little Rock School Board and is a long-time civil rights activist and supporter of equality in public education. She currently serves on the House Public Transportation and House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs committees. Additionally, she serves on the Performance Review committee, and Joint Budget committee as a 1st alternate including Personnel and Special Language, and as a 2nd alternative on the Legislative Auditing committee.
opinions
Stay Woke and Stay Black!
by Deborah Suttlar
March 8, 2025
The Republican led strategy to propagandized Woke, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has resulted in this current Trump Administration operating as a Criminal Enterprise to enact genocide and segregation. We must recognize this strategy for being exactly what it is. This effort is not just about control and greed, it is the denial of the “truth” about who they are, what they did and what they continue to do. We must remember that an uneducated population is easy to control. Which is why I am saying, Stay Woke and Stay Black.
We must “Stay Woke” This means that we must continue to recognize and be aware of the efforts to divide our country based on race, cultures, and class. The strategy is to make us unwilling to recognize the very truths of our own existence, their racism against us and be afraid to confront them about it. This has more reach than just race. it is also a” class” strategy to enable the rich to remain in power and in control. The long-term goal is to prevent those of us who will be the majority in the next 5- 10 years, from having any influence or power over our own lives. It will become American Apartheid.
We must “Stay Black.” Black is not just a color; it is the essence of who we are a people of African descent. A People who survived the atrocities of a slave society/country. A country which continues to utilize slave master mentality on us and by some of us. Therefore, if we know who we are, then we will not ignore the history of racism that repeats itself each time that we progress. Each time there is progress, there is a backlash against our very existence. We can never forget the “Red Summer.” The atrocities of Elaine, Arkansas and the race riot which ensued and in which our Black community was never vindicated or recovered.
Today, we are called to boycott one company which announced it would not implement diversity, equity, and inclusion. Target was one of the last companies that the Black community believed supported them. Therefore, when Target announced it would not continue DEI, Black people felt betrayed. Target is not the only one. Did Target create this anti-DEI or anti-Woke? No, Target is just the stem, it is not the root of this racism and path to segregation. My question, who should we be fighting right now?
In my opinion. As a person who has been boycotting Walmart for years, I believe we have always financed our demise by patronizing businesses that finance people who work/vote against our interest. The Target boycott is not the solution, it’s a drop in the pan. Many other companies have done much worse to accelerate these present laws that are being enacted to derail our civil rights and human rights.
We have a bigger problem than Target. We are in a Civil War that has been directed toward us, and we don’t even recognize that this is “war.”
A march which will be held on Sunday, March 9, 2025, from the Broadway Bridge in North Little to the City Hall of Little Rock, Arkansas to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. This march was the day in which peaceful protestors for voting rights were assaulted and 13 people were murdered. The year was 1965 and today, 60 years later, we continue to be haunted by violations and oppressive laws against the right to vote. We must remember that the right to vote is extremely important. The vote determines everything regarding our lives and how we exist in society. If you do not vote, you allow others to make decisions about your life in which you have no control. We now see how not voting and who you vote for affects our lives, and to our own peril.
Let us remember, they have no right to tell our stories and no right to keep our stories from being told. We must “stay woke” and “stay Black.” We must “keep going.”
Colossians 3:23 Our choices and efforts should ultimately be for God’s approval, not for human recognition.
Congressman John Lewis, “Your vote is precious, almost sacred.”
Harriet Tubman, “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going, If you want a taste of freedom, Keep going.
Deborah Springer Suttlar is a community activist and longtime supporter of public schools.
opinions
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY: 8th Week- 95th General Assembly
by Joy C. Springer
March 8, 2025
EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY: 8th Week- 95thGeneral Assembly
As the Arkansas House of Representatives entered the 8th week of the 2025 Regular Session, the House approved overwhelmingly by a vote of 96-0 to increase the Homestead Property Tax Credit. HB1534 increases the credit from $500 to $600 effective January 1, 2025. In the year 2000, the citizens of Arkansas voted overwhelmingly to create the Homestead Tax Credit. The March 3rdvote in the House was the second time in 2 years the House voted to increase this tax credit. HB1534 now goes to the Senate for a final vote. In June of 2024, the General Assembly increased the credit from $425 to $500. The legislature subsequently created the Property Tax Relief Fund which funds the credit. The increase passed this week is the largest increase in the history of the Homestead tax credit. Since the credit is funded by the Property Tax Relief Fund, there is no impact to the state’s general revenue. You have now heard about the “good news” for the week. I say “good news” because it positively affects the majority residents of Arkansas who pay state taxes.
Now for the not so good news, in my opinion…HB1489! ☹ According to Pew Research Center, most Americans, approximately 78%, favor the death penalty even though they have concerns about its administration. The concerns include whether innocent persons are put to death! HB 1489 proposes the use of nitrogen gas as a constitutional method to carry out the death penalty. Personally, I do not favor the death penalty and prepared an essay many years ago while in college regarding why I believed that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment. During the committee hearing on the bill, I commented that the absence of the Secretary of the Department of Corrections [spoke] volumes. It is obvious to me this method of execution will be before the Supreme Court in due time. Based upon my research, here are my findings according to the United States Supreme Court:
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty is not inherently
cruel and unusual, but its application can be. The Eighth Amendment
prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, but the Supreme Court has
interpreted this in light of evolving standards of decency.
· The Supreme Court has identified circumstances where the death
penalty violates the Eighth Amendment, including when it is mandatory
or disproportionate.
· The Supreme Court has also ruled that the death penalty is
unconstitutional for certain groups, such as juveniles and people
with mental disabilities.
· The Eighth Amendment also shapes the procedures for using the death penalty, including how it is carried out and when a jury can
use it.
· The Supreme Court has also ruled that laws that make the death penalty mandatory without discretion are cruel and unusual.
· Finally, the Supreme Court has also considered factors such as fairness, proportionality, and consistency.
When HB 1489 came to the House Floor for a vote, in my opinion, the Speaker did not utilize the same cadence in calling for members to speak for or against the Bill. In my opinion, he did not utilize his regular and repeated pattern of calling for those who wished to speak for … pausing to give time … and then calling for those who wished to speak against... pausing to give time. Only one representative was allowed to speak against the bill because of his religious beliefs. The final vote in the House was:
67 Yeas, 23 Nays, 8 Present and 2 Not Voting.
The other bill that passed in the House that in my opinion will have an impact of our children was HB1370. HB 1370 will require school districts to make up the first seven missed school days with in-person instruction.
If more than seven days are missed, the bill allows school districts to use alternative instruction methods for up to three additional days to meet the required number of instructional days. There were mixed opinions from the educators serving in the House.
Educational Emergency continues…
State Representative Joy C. Springer represents District 76 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Representative Springer previously served on the Little Rock School Board and is a long-time civil rights activist and supporter of equity in public education. She currently serves on the House Judiciary Committee and House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs committees. Additionally, she serves on the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) and the JBC Employee Benefits Division Oversight committee and as a 1st Alternate on the Legislative Joint Auditing committee.
opinions
The Continuing Legacy
by Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
March 1, 2025
Hello once again! Even though this is the last week of the month of February, it’s not the last week of Black History, or its origin. I have talked about the importance of Black History throughout this month and how it might cause us and the broader community to know more about one another.
This week I wish to lift up black personalities known and not so well known in the state of Arkansas. A further general mind-set for us all, is the African-American Regency of the Africans who now claim America as our home. John Hope Franklin, an American History scholar, wrote a book entitled, “From Slavery to Freedom”. I used that book as an Adjunct Professor at Philander Smith University. However, I only used it after the first month of class. You may ask why I used it for only one month of class. The reason I did not use his book was for me, the name of the book was not a name I would use for African Americans today.
I did continue to use the book, but I renamed it within the class and called it: “From Kings and Queens to Freedom.” It may be subtle, but when you start in slavery, I feel as an African American, you put yourself in a negative position, of which you really start in the hole and have to dig out!
The context for me, is that the Africans brought to American as slaves, were not all slaves, and did not have the slave mentality. The internet notes that between 12 and 15 million men, women and children were captured, put on slave ships, and brought to American. Further research records that at least two million died during the infamous “Mid-Passage” on top of that, scholars believe that 10 to 15% died during their march to confinement. For your own internet surfing, you may want to check out some queens and kings that were in Africa at the time of the slavery. Queen Amina, the Warrior Queen, King Ezana, the Christian King. Then, Queen Jaaasantezuaa, Queen Mother of the Ashani in Ghana, and King Obaewarehe, was “Ewware the great “in the Benin Emphire of Nigeria. These I have lifted up may or may not have been captured, but many others unnamed, I am sure were captured and brought to America.
Now I wish to list Arkansas African-Americans, as you read each name take a moment to pause as you consider person were related to us and may have been some of the Kings and Queens of our family.
ARKANSAS AFRICAN-AMERICANS
A
.J. Parish- a pastor, mortician, and Fort Smith resident became the first African-American coroner in Arkansas in 1989
Alonzo Clayton- African American jockey of North Little Rock, Kentucky Derby winner.
Annie Abrams- devoted grandmother, long-time social activist and strong proponent of participatory democracy.
Annie Mae Bankhead- dedicated civic leader who founded College station Community Center, 1971; Bankhead drive is named in her honor.
Bob Nash- Texarkana native, Director of presidential personnel during the Clinton administration a UAPB graduate
Carl Redus- sworn in as the first African American mayor of Pine Bluff in January 2005.
Charles Bussey- became Little Rock’s first African American Mayor, serving from November 1981 through December 1982
Charlotte Stephens- born into slavery in 1854 and later became the first African American teacher in Little Rock.
Curtis Sykes- first African American to receive a degree from Harding University. He was instrumental in establishing the Arkansas Black History Commission.
Donita Ruth McGraw- first African-American queen at Little Rock Central high school in 1974
Dr. Patricia Washington McGraw- first African-American professor at Little Rock University, now the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1969
Dr. Ruth Polk Patterson- author of “The Seeds of Sally Good’n: A Black Family of Arkansas, first African-American to teach Black literature in public schools of Little Rock.
Dr. Samuel Kountz- born in 1930 a native of Lexa in Phillips County, was the first African American transplant surgeon.
Dr. Walter Kimbrough- hip-hop president, youngest president of a college or university in Arkansas
Edith Irby Jones- first African American admitted to UAMS in 1948.
Eldridge Cleaver- famous member of Black Panther Party, wrote “Soul on Ice,” was born in Wabbaseka, Arkansas in 1935.
Eliza Ashley- Cooked at the Governor’s mansion in Little Rock for over 25 years.
Ernest Joshua, Sr.- founder and CEO of JM Products, Inc honored at the White
house for his achievements by President Ronald Reagan
Haki Madhubuti- famous African-American author born in Little Rock and originally named Don L. Lee.
Hoxie 21- in 1955 became the first school system to attempt to desegregate.
Irma Hunter Brown- became the first African American woman elected to Arkansas House of Representatives and State Senate.
J.A. Blount, Sr.- St. Francis County, first Black candidate to run in a state gubernatorial election; his bid was unsuccessful.
James Leary III- famous bass player for the Count Basie Orchestra now who has played with Sammy Davis, Jr, Earl “Fatha” Hines, and others, born in Little Rock.
James Monroe Cox- former President of Philander Smith College
John H. Johnson- born in Arkansas City, started his business with a $500.00 loan from his mother. Company publishes Ebony & jet Magazines.
Joyce Elliot- became 2nd African American woman to the State Senate and the first woman selected as Majority leader.
L.C. Bates- a tireless civil rights advocate and long-time supporter of the NAACP, published the Arkansas State Press, a black newspaper, 1941-1973.
Lena Jordan- Afrikan American nurse who founded a hospital for blacks in Little Rock in 1929
Lencola Sullivan- first African-American to be crowned Miss Arkansas in 1980
Little Rock Nine-nine African American students who were prevented from attending the all-white Central High School in 1957.
Louis Jordan- born in Brinkley, Arkansas ; the King of the Jukebox ; pioneering jazz, blues and boogie-woogie musician and songwriter.
Maya Angelou- spent her early childhood in Stamps, Arkansas-author of “I Know why the Caged Bird Sings,” “Singin’ and Swingin” and “Making Merry Like Christmas.”
Mifflin Gibbs- a staunch Republican leader; elected the first Black municipal judge in American history in Little Rock in 1873.
Mildred Smith- founder of the first Black History Museum in Arkansas
Milton Crenshaw-first African-American trained as a licensed pilot and trained hundreds of cadets at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
Neal Brown- first Black man elected to the Arkansas Legislature.
Rev. Joseph Booker- born in Portland, Arkansas-former president of Arkansas Baptist College
Ronnie Nichols- founder of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society of Arkansas
Scott Joplin- born in Texarkana, was a ragtime composer and musician. Earned the title “King of Ragtime.”
Scottie Pippen-native of Hamburg, won six NBA World Championships with the Chicago Bulls
Sidney Moncrief-played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks, professional ball for the Milwaukee Bucks, and named an NBA Allstar five times.
Silas Hunt- known as “The Father of Higher education”, first African-American to enter the Univ. of Arkansas Law school at Fayetteville.
Stacy Hawkins Adams- born in Pine Bluff, author of “Speak to My Heart,” and Nothing but The Right Thing
Tabbs Gross- attorney and publisher; “The Freeman,” in LR; Arkansas’s first Black owned and operated newspaper.
ADDITIONAL LIST OF GREAT BLACK AFRICAN-AMERICANS
· Al Green,born on April 13, 1948, in Forrest City, Arkansas, is known as one of the great rhythm and blues singers of the 1970s.
· Bobby Mitchell – Former professional football player and civil rights activist, known for his time with the Washington Football Team.
· Daisy Bates- Known as the "Mother of Desegregation" at Little Rock Central High School, Daisy Bates was a national civil rights advocate and a pivotal figure in the fight to end school segregation worldwide.
· Debbie Turner – A respected activist and community leader advocating for social justice and education.
· Eliza Ann Ross Miller – was an African American businesswoman and educator, as well as the first woman to build and operate a movie theater in Arkansas.
· Ernest Joshua Sr. – Community activist and philanthropist, known for his contributions to education and social justice.
· Haki Madhubuti – Renowned poet, educator, and publisher, a key figure in the Black Arts Movement.
· Lenny Williams- Renowned R&B singer, best known for his solo work and as the lead vocalist of ‘Tower of Power.’
· Missouri (Big Mo) Arledge – Famous for his contribution to African American culture, particularly in sports and community development.
· Nathaniel Clifton – One of the first African Americans to play in the NBA, breaking barriers in professional basketball.
· Patricia Washington McGraw-In 2004, she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. A longtime member of the National Association of Black Storytellers,
· Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson - nicknamed "Man of Steal", was an American professional baseball left fielder who played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. He is widely regarded as baseball's greatest …
· Rosetta Tharpe – Pioneering gospel singer and guitarist, often regarded as one of the godmothers of rock and roll.
· Scipio Jones – Prominent lawyer and civil rights advocate who helped secure the release of African-American men wrongly convicted in 1919.
· Scott Joplin- King of Ragtime
· The Mosaic Templars of America (MTA), an African American, Mosaic Templars' National Grand Temple in downtown Little Rock.
· Willie Roaf – Pro Football Hall of Famer, known as one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history.
Love,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church.
opinions
ARKANSAS BLACK PERSONALITIES 2025
By Rev. Dr. C.E. McAdoo
February 15, 2025
The following information was taken from a 2019 Black History Study Guide. This Guide’s content has been used all over the state of Arkansas in reference to Black History. Let me lift up for you that the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame has honored many of the individuals I will mention. Basically, what I want to do with this article is to just lift these personalities up; read a little bit about them and go on the internet and look up who they are and what they did and how they have added value. I’m going to ask you to share this with your family, because I think one of the ways we miss out is, we don’t share some of the people that have covered Arkansas and have done a great deal of work.
I have another disclaimer at the end of the article. However, I want to show the front end first and there’s no way in the world that I think I’m getting all the wonderful and outstanding Black personalities in Black History in the state of Arkansas. I’m using someone else’s information, but I want you to know that if someone’s name is not on this list, it’s because there was no bad list, and in working with my Virtual Assistant I did not want myself to start adding names. I want to make it as convenient for her as I can and also for myself. So, let me begin the list:
· Al Green– Soul music legend, best known for hits like "Let's Stay Together" and a smooth, soulful voice.
- Bobby Mitchell – Former professional football player and civil rights activist, known for his time with the Washington Football Team.
- Carl Freeman: A leader in education and Black community development in Arkansas, Freeman worked to promote Black culture and expand educational opportunities for African Americans.
- Charlotte Stevens – The first Black teacher in Little Rock during the Reconstruction Era. Her contributions were so significant that an elementary school in Little Rock, Charlotte Stephens Elementary School was named in her honor.
Cortez Kennedy – Born in Osceola and spent the first 18 years in the small town of Wilson. A Standout NFL player. The Six-time Pro Bowler was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2012.
- Daisy Bates – Civil rights leader and newspaper publisher, known for her leadership during the Little Rock Nine desegregation crisis.
- Debbie Turner – A respected activist and community leader advocating for social justice and education.
- Dee Bennett – Acclaimed artist and cultural leader, known for his contributions to the arts in Arkansas.
- Dr. Patricia Washington McGraw – Advocate for education and youth programs, particularly for underprivileged communities.
- Dr. Ruth Patterson – A pioneering educator and author who contributed significantly to African American history and literature. She was the first to teach Black literature in Little Rock’s public schools and authored “The Seed of Sally Good'n,” documenting a Black family's history in Arkansas.
Dr. Samuel L. Kountz, Jr. - Was an African-American kidney transplantation surgeon from Lexa, Arkansas. He was most distinguished for his pioneering work in the field of kidney transplants, and in research, discoveries, and inventions in Renal Science, in 1961, while working at the Stanford University Medical Center.
- Eliza Miller – Early civil rights advocate and community leader in Arkansas, known for her educational and social contributions.
- Emma Hunter Brown: An educator and activist who dedicated her life to advancing civil rights and improving education for African Americans in Arkansas.
- Ernest Jacobs: A prominent businessman and civic leader in Arkansas, known for his contributions to the local community and his efforts in promoting African American entrepreneurship.
- Ernest Joshua Sr. – Community activist and philanthropist, known for his contributions to education and social justice.
- Haki Madhubuti – Renowned poet, educator, and publisher, a key figure in the Black Arts Movement.
- Hubert Ausbie – Civil rights leader and educator, known for his activism in education and advocacy for African-American rights.
- Joe Silas Hunt: An influential lawyer and civil rights leader who worked to secure equality and justice for African Americans in Arkansas, focusing on legal advocacy and education.
- Lenny Williams – Renowned R&B singer, best known for his solo work and as the lead vocalist of Tower of Power.’
- Lou Brock – Hall of Fame MLB player, widely celebrated for his stolen base records and outstanding career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Maya Angelou – Renowned author, poet, and civil rights activist, best known for her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
- Mildred Smith: A pioneering figure in the fight for civil rights and educational advancement, Mildred Smith worked tirelessly for the improvement of African American communities.
- Milton Crewchaw – Community leader and educator in Arkansas, known for his work in advancing educational opportunities.
- Missouri (Big Mo) Arledge – Famous for his contribution to African American culture, particularly in sports and community development.
- Mosaic Templars of America – A prominent African American fraternal organization founded in 1882 to promote social and economic welfare.
- Nathaniel Clifton – One of the first African Americans to play in the NBA, breaking barriers in professional basketball.
- Nolan Richardson: A legendary basketball coach, best known for leading the University of Arkansas Razorbacks to an NCAA championship in 1994 and advocating for racial equality in sports.
- Rickie Henderson – Former MLB player, widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players and base stealers in history.
- Rosetta Tharpe – Pioneering gospel singer and guitarist, often regarded as one of the godmothers of rock and roll.
- Scipio Jones – Prominent lawyer and civil rights advocate who helped secure the release of African-American men wrongly convicted in 1919.
- Scott Jack - An influential community leader and activist who worked to improve the lives of African Americans through civic engagement, education, and advocacy.
- Scott Joplin – Legendary composer and pianist, often called the "King of Ragtime," famous for his work in early American music.
- The Little Rock Nine - A group of nine African American students who integrated Central High School in 1957, playing a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement and school desegregation.
- Wiley Britton: A significant figure in the African American community, Wiley Britton was an educator, community leader, and advocate for civil rights in Arkansas.
- William H. Brown was a prominent African American leader in Arkansas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his work in education, politics, and civil rights, serving as one of the few Black legislators in Arkansas during Reconstruction.
- William Hare Flowers: An educator and activist who made notable contributions to advancing civil rights and improving educational opportunities for African Americans in Arkansas.
- Willie Roaf – Pro Football Hall of Famer, known as one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history.
Let me say with all sincerity, as I said in the beginning, I know I have not listed all the great personalities in our state. I further ask you to help me help the people who do the study guide and to add any names that we may have missed today. In closing, I ask, as I did earlier, that you share this with your family members, with organization and community members and other persons who may be interested in some of the personalities who have been Black in the state of Arkansas and in the things that they have done in so many different areas. In these presentation events there is always room to explain, but you are now the person who can marshal and make an outstanding accomplishment for yourself and the state of Arkansas and around the world. With God all things are possible!
Love,
I Am
Charlie Edward McAdoo
Dr. McAdoo is a retired district superintendent in the United Methodist Church
About Us
Why we must create our own narratives
Perception is reality. How we are viewed and what is said about us matters. It is abundantly clear that here in Arkansas, we as African-Americans don't control many, if any, statewide media groups. On any given day, COUNT the number of positive stories reported by print and television stations KATV, KARK/KLRT-FOX-TV, and KTHV, about African Americans in Arkansas.
In Arkansas, with the exception of KTHV, the media groups and their ownerships are conservative and often often distort people of color and specifically, BLACK families. As black consumers of the news, "that's the part we miss." How on the "regular" we are portrayed by white media groups and their local news stations and print media.
A study from the University of Illinois concluded that at best media outlets (a) promoted racially biased portrayals and myths that pathologize black families and idealize white families with respect to poverty and crime (b) play a dangerous role in spreading debunked stereotypes about black families and (c) at worst, amplify those inaccurate depictions for political and financial gain. We've all seen that type of behavior before.
When media outlets examined in the study reported stories about poor families, they chose to feature black families in their coverage 59 percent of the time, even though only 27 percent of families living below the poverty line are black.
Similarly, in coverage of welfare, 60 percent of families portrayed were black, even though only 42 percent of families receiving welfare are black.
Finally, the article addresses the real-life consequences of the continued distortion of black life by the media. "When the news media constantly associates black people with crime, it increases racial stereotypes among viewers, leading the public including liberal and conservative Arkansan's to disproportionately favor punitive criminal justice policies." As a collateral damage piece, when the poor are depicted as overwhelmingly black, it leads the public to support heavier restrictions on welfare because of a perception that undeserving black people benefit from it. Backers of corporate and right-wing policies gain when the news media blames black families for social conditions, while their own role in destabilizing society remains invisible.
This online publication exists to counter the narrative that constantly depicts African Americans as "less than." It exists to balance the negative view of African American life that is constantly depicted in the local news and information outlets in this state. We are so much more than the lip-service paid to us by those that control the news cycle. It's not about the reporting of the news, it's about the process of manufacturing the news. There is a saying that goes something like this. "If you control the messenger, then you control the message." Let's take some of that control back. As African Americans in Arkansas, let us create our own narratives. Most importantly, let us report and talk about the real issues.................. with our own voices,.... and our own opinions.
meet our contributors
opinion
opinion
opinion
Deborah Suttlar
Deborah is a longtime Community and Civil Rights Activist. Her column appears in the Opinion Section.
Click the link below to read read Deborah Suttlar's column.
https://talkblackarkansas.com/opinion
opinion
opinion
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The Honorable Wendell Griffen
Judge Griffen will comment on the law and its impact on Black Arkansans. He will also discuss and legal and social issues on a state and national level impacting Black Arkansans and Black Americans.
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Finance
opinion
Religion
Gaining generational wealth is the key to Black economic family wealth and security. We will share strategies from the Association of African American Financial Advisors to help you and your family get there. We will inform you about managing your finances so that you can start your path to financial freedom.
Religion
Religion
Rev. C.E. McAdoo
Rev. McAdoo is a retired District Superintendent with the United Methodist Church. He will provide a weekly column on Religion and Black Arkansas.
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https://talkblackarkansas.com/opinion .
At the State Capitol
State Representative Joy C. Springer
State Representative Joy Springer is a veteran school an civil rights advocate for African-American children and their families. She will provide a weekly column on state legislative and educational concerns affecting African -Americans .
Click the link below to read Representative Springer's column.
Medicine and health
This weekly column features a listing of top African-American doctors in Arkansas, and their areas of expertise. We will try to connect you with physicians who understand your physical, cultural and mental health needs. One study suggests that African American male patients who meet with black physicians often ask to receive more preventive services than patients who met with nonblack physicians. This study also suggested that black doctors are more likely to provide a comfortable settings to black patients, perhaps because of shared experiences or backgrounds. The study concluded that increasing the amount of black physicians could lead to a 19 percent reduction in the black-white male cardiovascular mortality gap and an 8 percent decline in the black-white male life expectancy gap.
Education
Who to call
Who to call
This weekly column will focus on educational happenings in the state including news from local school districts and the Arkansas Department of Education.
Who to call
Who to call
Who to call
People always have "who to contact questions." Whether it is a local city government office or a state government office, we will try to steer you in the right direction.