February marks the celebration of Black History Month, and our students sought to create a special collection to kick off Volume #8 and highlight uniquely significant contributions. For the first time ever, we are telling stories within our story. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors are Signals of a brighter future, an optimistic vision of tragedy overcome. A powerful addition to our vision. 

You can view additional submissions in Volume #8: Smoke by navigating to the menu and accessing the Volume #8 drop-down. Happy reading!

Early Life

Ernestine Henderson Acklin is the daughter of Casterene Cunningham Henderson and L.V. Henderson Sr. She was born and raised in Conway, Arkansas, and grew up west of Conway in the Salem Community. 

Struggles

Mrs. Acklin grew up during the 1960s. She often struggled with having a large family. She lived with her 12 siblings, mother, and father. Her mother worked in the cafeteria at the University of Central Arkansas and her father was a plumber. Being from humble beginnings, Acklin worked during summers and missed school for periods to help her family make a living. She chopped cotton and helped out when needed. Her family grew their food and raised a few livestock animals as well. Most of the time her family didn’t have transportation, so she never had the opportunity to be involved in extracurricular activities.

Occupation

Acklin is a former teacher and administrator of Conway Public School District. Acklin retired from CPSD in the year 2013 and now works as a Funeral Director in her family’s business. She is a licensed Funeral Director at Larry G. Acklin Funeral Home.

Role Models

When speaking with Mrs. Acklin, she listed leaders she admired while growing up. She listed her mother and father. Though they may not have been able to provide financial support, they gave her the emotional support she needed.

She admired members of her church as well. Mr. and Mrs. Williams encouraged her and kept an eye on her family. Mary Hill was an elder in the church who took her under her wing and gave her advice.

Acklin also admired teachers. “They were understanding,” she shared. Her teachers inspired her to go into education because of their nurturing demeanor. Her fourth-grade teacher, Evelyn Pearson, stood out to her the most. She showed compassion for her situation. As it was previously mentioned, Mrs. Acklin had to miss one to two weeks of school to help her family. Once back at school, Pearson made sure she got caught up on schoolwork and offered extra help. Dorothy Woods, her Home Economics Teacher, was always encouraging. Lastly, Mrs. Blan was not her teacher but taught at the school she attended. After Acklin got a Bachelor's Degree, Mrs. Blan pushed her to get a Master’s Degree.

Community

Mrs. Acklin primarily serves her community while working at the funeral home. “My service to the families during their time of need is the biggest thing I do in the community now.”

 "Being a funeral director, I look at that as being a servant. We serve and help other people during the most difficult time of their lives,” says Acklin. 

Inspiration

During my interview with Mrs. Acklin I asked the question “what has been your biggest inspiration?“ She responded with, “my past.” Some people view their past as bad and a place they never want to go back to. When thinking of her past, there are things she did not like about it, but she uses that as a source of inspiration. Aspects of her past inspired her to go into education for which she had a true passion. “If I had to do it over again, I would go the same route.” She would not change anything. Her past inspired her to do better for herself and her family to live a good life.

 What does Black History Month mean to you?

When asked this question, Mrs. Acklin says she thought about the African Americans in the past that endured struggles and had many triumphs. Everyone's life has been touched in some way by an African American. No matter the field (science, technology, or sports) they all made contributions to America. They have invented things like the ironing board, which we use today as a convenience. Little goes to say that Black History Month is a time where we reflect on those individuals who made contributions in the past and in the present. We build on them for the future. It's a time when we honor them for their hard work, struggles, and the adversities they faced to make life better for us. “So I salute them. I think it's a time where we need to ask ourselves what are we doing or what can we do to carry on this mission that they put in place for us.”  

Advice to Youth

In the final statements of the interview, Mrs. Acklin provided some advice to young people like myself. Her first piece of advice is to finish high school. What you do after high school will determine what type of life you live. Whether it’s college, trade school, or developing some sort of skill, make sure it’s something you want to do. This leads into her next piece of advice which is to make sure you enjoy your job and do not settle for anything less. You do not want to have a job that you dread going to day to day. “If you dread going to work, then you are not going to give your all and your best.”

Interview and article by Antwanette W.

Born and raised in the Pine Street Neighborhood of Conway, AR, Ms. Leona Walton has dedicated herself to preserving and promoting the history of the Pine Street Community. 

Early Life

Walton attended Pine Street Elementary school during segregation before integrating at Conway Junior High School in 1969. During her time at Pine Street Elementary, Walton gained many memories of the great cafeteria food, supportive faculty, and murder mystery plays put on by the high school. From her third-grade teacher Ms. Rosemary Bryant who Walton is still in touch with today, to her sixth-grade teacher Ms. Daisy Hill who was stern but loving, Walton recounts the Pine Street Elementary faculty who always fostered an environment for their students to excel. 

Walton would integrate schools after sixth grade at Conway Junior High School. Adjusting to this environmental change would pose a challenge for Walton and other students coming from the Pine Street community as they struggled to find a place where they belonged. With integration came transitioning from a Pine Street education, where students were expected to succeed, to a learning environment where Walton and others felt little regard for their academic success. Many of the Black Students became discouraged from participating in extracurriculars due to not feeling they belonged and would create the American Black Culture (ABC) club as a result. Walton, who served as an officer for the ABC club during her time at Conway High School, recalls the club as offering students the opportunity to meet and talk about Black History. Walton would graduate with the class of 1974 from Conway High School.

Preserving the History of the Pine Street Community

As someone who has never been afraid to step up and address what she felt needed to be, Leona Walton’s dedication to the Pine Street neighborhood has made her a notable figure in the community. Walton acted as treasurer for the Pine Street Free Clinic, commending its founder, Mary Beard, for her extensive efforts in maintaining the neighborhood clinic before its closing.  Walton is also treasurer for her neighborhood’s predominately black cemetery, “I am serious about making sure we take care of the cemetery of our ancestors.” Walton co-founded the Pine Street Backpack Program where students in grades K-12 are provided with school supplies in preparation for the new school year and is on the board for the Pine Street CommUnity Museum. 

The Pine Street CommUnity museum was founded to promote and preserve the history of the Pine Street neighborhood as well as promote awareness of the black race. “We are here to preserve and promote the people, the school, our churches, and this neighborhood. We are proud of its former residents who have gone on to do great things,” Ms. Walton describes the pride she has in her community and its people.

”I’ve been placed in my being to care about people.” Ms. Leona Walton on serving as secretary of Greater Pleasant Branch Baptist Church.

Advice for Youth

In her time, Walton has learned to choose the causes she dedicates herself to wisely in order to keep from burning out; Nevertheless, as pushing for inclusion continues to be a challenge we face today, Walton encourages people to seek out those who are different from themselves and to learn about them because you will inevitably realize that you have more in common than not.

“We can’t forget. When I say can’t forget, I’m not talking about necessarily we can’t forget that we were segregated, but I want us to remember we were still human. We were still people." Ms. Leona Walton on preserving the history of the Pine Street Community.

 Interview and article by Makyla P.

Early Life

Jamisa Nuness-Hogan was born in Albany, New York. She resided there during her younger years in life. Her stepfather was in the military. As a result, she moved around quite often. Her family settled in Arkansas when Hogan was 16 years old. She is a Conway High School graduate.

Occupation

Hogan is a Child Care Provider, Director, and Owner of Kids World Child Care Center in Conway, AR. She has been in business for about 26 years. She also is the owner of Willow Event Center in Conway. 

Struggles

The instability from being a military kid caused her to struggle. Along with her struggle with reading and comprehension, she had a hard time in school. Hogan had her first child at the age of 17. It was difficult because she found herself being around people who frowned upon teenage pregnancy. Nevertheless, she raised herself and her daughter on her own. Hogan attended high school during the day and worked at night to pay bills. Since her grandmother lived next door to her, she babysat when needed. Though she did not have much parental support, she gained support from her grandmother and others within her community. After graduating high school she attended Petit Jean VoTech (now UACCM in Morrilton) and Remington College (now Pulaski Tech) to become a Child Care Specialist.

Mrs. Hogan worked at a daycare for a few years prior to owning her own. In 1996, she opened her in-home daycare and kept children 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. She capitalized on workers at surrounding companies who worked late night shifts. It was common for parents to work the same shift. Hogan worked on her own, not sleeping much until she was able to hire another person to work different shifts. In 1998, Hogan was able to open a 5,000-square-foot facility. She named this daycare Over the Rainbow Child Care Center. Sad to say that in 2000, the building caught fire and burned to the ground. Two years after the building burned, she went back to purchase her previous property where she initially started her daycare and additional property. By doing this, Hogan was able to keep a fraction of the children while rebuilding. She lost almost 90% of what she accumulated over the years. Hogan was underinsured and didn’t know much about business at the time. In 2015, she purchased the old Playworld building and named it Kids World Child Care Center. Hogan established a school-aged program 3 years ago. Over the years her business has expanded and will continue to expand in the coming years. 

Role Models

Jamisa Hogan admired great leaders within her community. Beginning with those in her family circle, Hogan admired her grandmother. She looked up to her grandmother because she taught her the value of hard work. Her grandmother was also very direct about what she said and how she said it. She told people what she expected from them and did not let anyone mistreat her.

She admired Terry Shepherd. “She was the bomb! She used to see me in school and touch my chin and say ‘Hold your head up girl, you're okay’.” Terry Shepherd gave her a lot of encouragement as a young adult and young mother. She was a mentor to her in and out of school. Mrs. Shepherd knew her struggles and was never judgemental. “Of course, you can’t say Terry Shepherd without saying Reuel Shepherd.” The Shepherds were great advocates for young people and people in distress. If Mrs. Hogan needed anything they were there to help.

Hogan commends Leona Walton for being an advocate of the community. She admires the way Walton fought for her community and was a huge support system. They first met in the neighborhood where they resided and church.

Another role model of Hogan’s is Theodore Jones. “He was cool, calm, collective and a great educator,” Hogan adds. She remembers he always had a kind word to say and never looked down on others. She still thinks about all these leaders in her adulthood.

Community Involvement

Hogan is a supporter of foster care. She currently works with The Call. In the past, she provided a foster care home for over 20 different children. She even went to court in order to fight to be a single foster parent. However, Hogan was forced by the state to close her foster care home so she could keep the daycare running. The daycare was her livelihood and her source of income. Even though she was not allowed to be a foster care parent anymore, she decided to still work with foster care children and programs.

Mrs. Hogan is on the board of the Arkansas Community Foundation. This organization provides grants and assistance to non-profit groups within Faulkner County. They teach smart investment skills and help others create trust funds and endowments.

Hogan is involved with many other community organizations such as Heart to Heart (partnered with the American Heart Association), Order of Eastern Star, Women in Leadership, Women in Business, Business Network Institution, and Central Arkansas Connectors.

Inspiration

Mrs. Hogan’s inspiration is to be a better version of herself. She strives to be better every day because of the impact she has on a tremendous amount of children, families, and staff. Creating a legacy for her family is also very important. She wishes to leave her family with a legacy to cherish forever.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

“It’s not long enough,” states Hogan. Black History Month allows Black people to share their heritage. She implements learning Black History in her daycare as well. She pushes her staff to find objects in the classroom invented by African Americans and to teach about the significance of those people and their accomplishments. Hogan feels honored to be able to inform the upcoming generations about Black History.

Advice to Youth

Mrs. Hogan’s advice to the youth today is to “know your own history.” She encourages young people to research their family tree and talk to those within their family. “You may be surprised by how knowledgeable some of the people are in your family.”

 Interview and article by Antwanette W.

As Chief of Staff for the city of Little Rock, Kendra Pruitt has the pleasure of managing and coordinating the city’s day-to-day operations on behalf of the mayor’s office. 

Early Life

Pruitt was born and raised in northeast Arkansas in the city of Newport, a small town with a population of around seven thousand. As Chief of Staff, Pruitt is active in Little Rock but expresses that her family roots in Newport will always make it home for her. Pruitt credits her mother as her shero who set an admirable example for her growing up by working as an educator in Newport, "she was a trailblazer in her own right." As a young black girl, Pruitt didn't see figures that looked like her in the positions she would one day assume; however, this lack of representation would only motivate her to become an example for black youth. Eventually, Pruitt would even create an organization titled Club R.E.S.T.O.R.E., an empowerment program for youth in Newport. 

“When we say representation matters, I didn’t necessarily have that and that’s something I really missed and lacked growing up. And that’s why I wanted to be that for others growing up.” Kendra Pruitt on the significance of representation.

Serving the City of Little Rock

Prior to her current position, Pruitt attended Ouachita Baptist University and the University of Arkansas School of Law before working as an attorney for a number of years. Pruitt would be appointed as Senior Advisor by Mayor Frank Scott Jr. in 2019. As the 73rd mayor of Little Rock, Scott is the first popularly elected black mayor of Little Rock. As Senior Advisor, Pruitt was able to run the policy work and initiatives for the city of Little Rock. After Mayor Scott's re-election in 2022, Pruitt was appointed Chief of Staff. As Chief of Staff, Pruitt is responsible for managing and coordinating the city's day-to-day operations on behalf of the mayor’s office.

“I currently have the pleasure and honor as serving of Chief of Staff for the city of Little Rock.“ Kendra Pruitt on priding herself in serving the city of Little Rock.

Lessons Learned 

Having attracted such success so early in life, Pruitt navigates the world with the mentality that there are no losses, only lessons. While staying true to herself and her passions, Pruitt has come to value the role of curiosity in her progression. "We should constantly challenge ourselves. If we become stagnant then we’re not growing. I want people to always be moving forward." Pruitt also mentioned that one of her themes this year is purposeful progression, stating that we should be progressing purposely.  When our curiosity drives us to step out of our comfort zones, that is where Pruitt believes we find our progress.

“Knowing myself is so important and staying true to myself because, when you’re navigating career and society in general, you’ll constantly be challenged with doing things that might not feel right to you or your purpose. Staying true to your integrity and being true to what you are passionate about will help you leaps and bounds."

Advice to Youth

As lack of opportunity continues to be a prevalent challenge within the black community, Pruitt emphasizes to youth the importance of believing in oneself to achieve your goals. "You can be whatever you set your mind to. You obviously have to work for it. You obviously have to put yourself in the right circumstances, situations, and positions. But first, it’s just important to believe that you can do it and constantly work and be the best version of yourself in whatever you do." Additionally, Pruitt asserts that all success must start with knowing yourself because by being true to yourself, you can only follow the paths that are set out for you. 

 Interview and article by Makyla P.