The Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation will honor six new inductees at its 27th annual ceremony Oct. 26 at Robinson Center Performance Hall in Little Rock.
The inductees are Sen. Irma Hunter Brown, Wallace "Wali" Reed Caradine, John Donley, Edward "Coach Ed" Johnson, Kristin Lewis and Roscoe Robinson, according to a news release from the foundation.
"Our 2019 inductees continue the tradition of showcasing the tremendous talent that Arkansas produces," chairman Charles Stewart said. "The Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation is thrilled to honor their achievements and once again put the best that our state has to offer on display."
Brown served 24 years in the Arkansas Legislature and was the first black woman elected to the state House of Representatives and the Senate. She is president of the Friends of Haven of Rest Cemetery Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the condition and appearances of the cemetery, which is the final resting place of several notable black Arkansans.
Caradine, a posthumous inductee, was the first black graduate from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. His footprint can be seen in such structures as the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library, Verizon Arena, the Arkansas Statehouse Convention Center expansion and numerous other buildings.
Donley is an award-winning television writer and creative entrepreneur whose writing credits include hit shows Diff'rent Strokes, Who's the Boss, Benson, Sanford and Son and The Jeffersons. He received an NAACP Image Award as the writer for an episode of Diff'rent Strokes.
Johnson has been the head coach of the Sunset Tigers Youth Football Organization for the past 48 years and is believed to be the longest-serving active Community Youth Football coach in the state. He's coached 27 players who went on to play in the National Football League.
Lewis, a Little Rock native, has become an internationally renowned opera star best known for her interpretations of composer Giuseppe Verdi's operatic heroines. She has won multiple awards, including artist of the year, the Oscars of the Opera Awards, the Opera Prize and the Audience Award.
Robinson, 91, is a gospel/R&B singer and recording artist from Dermott whose career spans several decades. He worked with Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack, and performed with such noted gospel groups as the Highway Q.C.'s, The Fairfield Four, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Proceeds from the ceremony benefit the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation. The organization has awarded more than $650,000 in grants to organizations that serve black and underserved communities throughout the state.
State Desk on 09/05/2019