The 2014 inductees to the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame include a former slave who became a noted U.S. deputy marshal and the chairman of a state agency tapped to join a federal regulatory agency by the nation's first black president.
Charles Stewart, chairman of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation, announced the six inductees Tuesday at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock.
The inductees, all of whom are Arkansas natives, include Rick Jasper, the highest-ranking black person at the Central Intelligence Agency, who has served as executive secretary to former Directors Michael Hayden and Leon Panetta; Vertie L. Carter, 92, a noted educator who was instrumental in implementing Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations in the state; Judge Olly Neal, who established the Lee County Cooperative Clinic and became the state's first black district prosecuting attorney; and blues musician Bobby Rush.
Colette D. Honorable, chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, will also be inducted.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama announced Honorable's nomination for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Bass Reeves, one of the nation's first black U.S. deputy marshals, will be posthumously inducted.
Six black Arkansans have been inducted into the Hall of Fame each year since 1992. Each group includes one posthumous induction, Stewart said, "so that we will not forget the contributions that African-Americans have made who have gone on, but their achievements are notable."
The Hall of Fame's induction ceremony will take place Oct. 18 in the Wally Allen Ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Tickets are $150.
Stephanie Jackson, a spokesman for the Hall of Fame, said proceeds are used to benefit black communities through educational, health and wellness initiatives, as well as economic development.
Jackson said that after the induction ceremony, the Hall of Fame foundation will begin accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations around the state. She said grant recipients will be announced in the spring and that typical grant amounts range from $25,000 to $50,000.
The foundation began awarding grants in 2004 and has granted more than $390,000 over the past decade, Jackson said.
Myron Jackson, Stephanie Jackson's husband and one of 15 members of the Hall of Fame's steering committee, said the committee typically begins with about 20 nominees for induction to the hall each year.
"It's a rigorous discussion within our team, where we try to ensure that individuals we select not only have a significant presence in the African-American community but in the broader community, as well," Myron Jackson said. He said he hoped people would "understand that these Arkansans have had a significant impact across the country and across the world."
Myron Jackson said the selection of Reeves and Honorable in this year's class illustrates the span of the black experience in the United States.
"It's amazing when you look at the full circle, where an entire people has evolved in this country," Myron Jackson said. "Where we're recognizing a former slave, as well as recognizing a young lady who's been identified by the most powerful man in the world."
Tickets to the induction ceremony can be purchased from the Hall of Fame at (501) 588-8037.
Metro on 09/03/2014