Central Arkansas reflects on Black history and legacy during Black History Month – THV11.com KTHV

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — We’re now halfway through Black History Month — a time to reflect on monumental figures in African American history.
“There’s a saying that says, if you don’t know where you’ve come from, you won’t know where you are going,” Bethel African Methodist Episopal Church trustee Scott Green said.
Learning the history of African Americans has helped generations learn the stepping stones of African American history from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Daisy Bates.
“Black History Month was started by Mr. Carter G. Woodson to set aside time to highlight the impact that African Americans have held here in the United States, and Black history is not just confined to the United States, but Black history is worldwide,” Arkansas MLK Jr. Commission Historian Tiffany Pettis said.
Black history is even felt here in the central Arkansas area.
Pettis has done extensive research and studies on Black history here in the natural state. She shared with THV11 one of the pivotal moments that stand out the most.
“One place that we can start is the Historic Arkansas Museum, which houses the oldest neighborhood in central Arkansas. And there’s documentations of slaves there who resided there in the oldest neighborhood, who, of course, worked on that plantation,” Pettis said. 
That opened the door for other historical moments down the line like the integration of Little Rock Central High School.
RELATED: Explore Little Rock Central High School
The desegregation of the school told the story of nine African American students, also known as ‘The Little Rock Nine,’ who were able to attend classes even after facing an angry mob just days before.
“The sacrifices that they made today — our children, we can go into any school, and we can sit with children of various cultures because of the sacrifices that they made and so many others,” Pettis said.
Not too far from Central High School is Bethel AME.
It was the church home of four Little Rock Nine members but also became a symbol of hope for the Black community for decades.
“Bethel AME church was established in 1864 and it was originally called Campbell AME. The name was later changed and would find itself being located at the corner of 9th and Broadway in what was Little Rock’s version of a Black Wall Street,” Green said.
He told THV11 that the church remained on 9th St. up until the 1970s and became a part of what moved the Black community in central Arkansas.
For Black churches as a whole, they played a pivotal role in the transgression of history — showing how Black churches, businesses, schools and communities came to be.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, said, ‘I can never be what I can be until you are what you ought to be. What affects one directly affects us all indirectly,'” Pettis said. “Through his efforts and so many other trailblazers, we stand on their shoulders, and so we are experiencing those benefits from their bravery, their courage.”
Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 marks ‘Daisy Bates Day,’ honoring the life and legacy of a mentor to the Little Rock Nine members and a longtime civil rights leader.

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