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Ambassador Edward J. Perkins
In 1986, Edward J. Perkins became the first black ambassador assigned to the Republic of South Africa, where he was an ardent opponent of apartheid. Throughout his 24 year career, he also served as a U.S. foreign ambassador to Ghana, Liberia, the United Nations, and Australia.
Jun 43 min read
Dr. George Edmund Haynes
Pine Bluff native, Dr. George Edmund Haynes was a pioneering sociologist, social worker, educator, policy expert, and co-founder and...
May 73 min read
The Politics of Slavery & Inherited Power in the South
In their June report, Reuters, an international news agency, found that a fifth of the U.S. political elite, including members of...
Nov 6, 20245 min read
Pine Bluff’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Connection
Pine Bluff, Arkansas has a rich science fiction and fantasy tradition. Countless science fiction and fantasy films, television shows, and...
Feb 28, 20244 min read
Joseph Bonne
Joseph Bonne, the first settler in Pine Bluff, established the Jefferson County seat of justice from his tavern home. Image Credit:...
Sep 20, 20232 min read
The Great Flood of 1927
The Great Flood of 1927 was the most destructive and costly in Arkansas history, devastating cities all across the Arkansas Delta,...
Aug 16, 20233 min read
John Gray Lucas
John Gray Lucas, a brilliant lawyer and politician, served Pine Bluff in many political capacities during the Reconstruction Era,...
Jun 28, 20233 min read
The Streetcar Boycott of 1903
The Streetcar Boycott of 1903, led by black leaders in Little Rock, boycotted streetcars in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Hot Springs...
May 10, 20232 min read
William LeVan Sherrill, Marcus Garvey and the United Negro Improvement Association
William LeVan Sherrill, a human rights activist from Arkansas, is credited with leading and linking the Black nationalist movement of the...
Jul 20, 20223 min read
The Back to Africa Movement
The Back to Africa Movement saw many of its Black residents emigrate from counties all over Arkansas throughout the late 1800s. Image...
Jul 13, 20223 min read
Martha Beall Mitchell: A Pine Bluff Original
This article is a reprint from the Explore Pine Bluff Blog due to anticipated interest in the upcoming Starz series Gaslit highlighting...
Apr 20, 20223 min read
Rural Revolutionaries: 1918 Refusal by Black Pine Bluff Women to Pick Cotton
In 1918, a group of black women banded together against Pine Bluff city officials to increase their meager wages and succeeded against...
Mar 9, 20223 min read
Getting to Know G.W. "Buddy" Turner, Jr.
Grover White “Buddy” Turner, Jr. was an Arkansas legislator who influenced state policy from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Aug 18, 20213 min read
The Short Life of Lil’ Bobby Hutton
Robert James Hutton packed a lifetime of activism into less than two decades.
Apr 21, 20213 min read
Celebrating Rev. Jesse Turner
A trailblazer, community activist, civil rights champion, and historian, Rev. Turner is a force for positive change.
Mar 17, 20213 min read
Branton, Branton & Flowers: Civil Rights Advocates
Long before #BlackLivesMatter, three lawyers with Pine Bluff ties were playing key roles in the Civil Rights movement, laying the groundwork
Jul 1, 20203 min read
Martha Beall Mitchell: A Pine Bluff Original
One of the Watergate era’s most polarizing figures Martha Elizabeth Beall Mitchell, the wife of Attorney General John N. Mitchell.
May 27, 20202 min read
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