This Bentonville baseball team, photographed in the early 1900s, was part of a regional African-American league that included teams from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Joplin, Missouri. Back, from left: Thad Wayne, Marion “Sonny” Finney, and Lloyd Trout. Front, from left: Yates Claypool, Virge Black, and John Barker. Photo is from the Elizabeth Robertson Collection (S-95-7-42)
Your story belongs here! Our ongoing Ozark Voices series continues on Wednesday, September 3 with Ozark Voices: The Black Experience, a series of events celebrating and documenting the Black experience and history in the Ozarks. We have opportunities for you to tell us YOUR story, get great barbecue from Nate Walls’ Second Hand Smoke, and then hear from author Adrian Miller, dubbed the Soul Food Scholar. Keep reading to register and for more details.
Ozark Voices: The Black Experience, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Museum Meeting Room, 118 W. Johnson Avenue
Staff will be digitizing photos and documents. Attendees will be able to take home the digital files on a flash drive, and they are free to share or donate these images and documents to the museum, but that is not required. We will also have resources for Black history research, sign ups for our advisory committee, and sign ups for oral histories if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their story with us. We will also be able to do short interviews on site at that time also. No registration required. Contact Rachel Whitaker for questions about research, oral histories, or digitizing.
Barbecue with Second Hand Smoke, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Shiloh Meeting Hall, 121 W. Huntsville Avenue
To help folks whet their whistles for Adrian Miller’s talk on Barbecue and its African American Roots, we are offering free barbecue and sides from Fayetteville’s Chef Nate and Second Hand Smoke for 50 people. This is also a great chance to meet the author! REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Register HERE.
Barbecue and Its African American Roots with Adrian Miller, 6:30 pm
Museum Meeting Room, 118 W. Johnson Avenue
The event culiminates with a talk from Adrian Miller, James Beard award-winning author and barbecue expert! His book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue will be for sale on site, and there will be an opportunity for author signing. No registration required. Learn more about Miller and his talk by going to our event page for Barbecue and Its African American Roots.
Throughout these events, visitors will be able to experience One Step Higher: Five Generations of a Black Ozark Family exhibit in the museum.
Funding for this event was provided by the Society of American Archivists Foundation.