Names tell story
Editor, The Commercial:
A Bold Soldier is how the Westside Ministers' Union tagged me in 1990. Proud to have been a part of selecting the seven that were sworn in last night (Jan. 26), more importantly to have led the effort to change the Pine Bluff School District election process from at-large to zone elections.
Last evening (Jan. 26) was exciting, wonderful and gratifying. While sitting in the M.D. Jordan/R.N. Chaney School Administration Building, my mind carried me back to the fight we had to name this administrative center after two bold local African American academicians.
When the fight was over, we had won the war to have these black men's names placed on this building. However, the sign only says Jordan/Chaney, leaving future generations wondering who is Jordan/Chaney.
Well, in the process of naming the administration building, the then-Pine Bluff School Board and PBICVR (Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration) wondered aloud for months who is Carver on Carver Elementary School. Finally, after searching, the district placed the complete name "George Washington Carver" on the school.
Black history in Pine Bluff is hidden in plain view. Pine Bluff is approximately 77 percent African American. CRT is a political weapon used to stir the emotions of Black people; yet blacks are emotionless when it comes to their local history, which remains hidden.
Rev. Jesse C. Turner, executive director,
Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration Inc.