October 2, 2021

By Karen Hilfman

September 30, 2021 marked the 102nd anniversary of the 1919 Elaine Race Massacre in Arkansas.  At the Elaine, AR Legacy Center, descendants of survivors, their families and friends remembered the unspeakable reign of terror – loss of life, property and land - that devastated their community over a century ago.  Sept 30th was just the first of three consecutive days of anti-Black violence in what constituted one of the deadliest race massacres in U.S. History.

The Elaine Legacy Center (ELC), located at 313 College Ave, hosted two “Healing of the Land Prayer Services,” one from Noon - 1 PM and the other from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Central Time, both over Zoom.  Participants came from Phillips County, other parts of Arkansas and other states around the US.  They included Julia Wright, daughter of author Richard Wright, whose uncle Silas Hoskins was murdered in Elaine in 1917.   This was the ELC’s 10th annual “Healing of the Land Prayer Service,” a tradition begun in 2012. 

 For too long the Elaine Massacre was swept under the rug by Arkansas press, politicians and businessmen.  The survivors spoke only close to home because of their trauma and fear of retaliation.  “Hush mouth” prevailed for years; generations of families, both white and Black in and around Elaine, not to mention around the U.S., grew up knowing nothing about these three deadly days. But descendants have kept their stories alive, passing them from generation to generation.  

Once the ELC was founded in 2017, its leaders began speaking truth to power so that someday everyone in the country would know about Elaine.   Among those who heard them was Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference (SDPC) in Chicago.  Carruthers knew of Elaine; she had family from there who escaped during the massacre and fled the US entirely.  Under her direction, in 2019, the SDPC held a public  Truth-Seeking Commission Hearing in Elaine to hear testimony from descendants of survivors of the Elaine Massacre.  

During the hearings a consistent theme emerged, a truth known well by the descendants but generally obscured by the dominant narrative that centers Black sharecroppers as the victims of the massacre:  Again and again, descendants spoke of their relatives as having been run out of businesses and off farm land that they owned.  Like the Tulsa OK massacre of 1921, Elaine came into focus as an episode not only of mass Black murder but also of mass Black land theft.   And the residents were talking about reparations. 

James White, ELC Director of Programs and a descendant, sums the Elaine history up by saying, “Before 1919 we were proud land owners, business people, educators, and professionals.  In 1919 we all became poor in 3 days.  And we are still poor today.”   

Upon hearing of this work, the National African American Reparations Commission, (NAARC) connected its white ally organization, the Fund for Reparations NOW!(FFRN!) with the Elaine Legacy Center.  FFRN!, founded by David Gardinier in 2019, is a platform for white individuals to support NAARC’s 10-Point Reparations Plan and the national reparations movement.  Dr. Ron Daniels, Convener of NAARC, introduced the FFRN! leadership to the Elaine Legacy Center Board in 2020. 

 First and foremost, ELC asked FFRN! to help spread the word about the Elaine Massacre and amplify the righteous call for reparations.  They requested help to fund a permanent memorial to the lives and livelihoods lost in 1919. They also requested funding to help upgrade the ELC Civil Rights Museum with interactive exhibits, including oral history interviews, and a computer lab for youth.

 In addition to using it’s social media accounts to consistently lift up and advocate for Elaine, FFRN! pledged $150,000 to the Elaine Legacy Center.  It sent the first $50,000 payment in December of 2020, the second in March of 2021, and the final payment, $150,000 altogether, after a large fundraising campaign this past Juneteenth.

The Museum and Civil Right’s Center is the cornerstone of The Legacy Center’s long term goal of a revitalized Elaine, with reparations having been paid.  Descendants are working on Elaine being a center of Delta music, culture, the arts, and education so that tourism and pilgrimages create above average incomes for every person in Elaine. 

There’s work to be done and challenges to overcome as the Legacy Center seeks reparations, especially because land deeds and property tax records before 1919 are non-existent, or scant at best.  Nevertheless, agri-business thrives in Elaine and land-based wealth abounds.  

According to White, “If the farmers in this area just gave 1% to this town we’d have new roads, maybe a school, a village.  We’ve got a lot of brilliant kids here.  They just need a chance.  Now, you’ve got to leave out of this town to have something.  You’ll never get it here, not if you’re black you won’t. “

The Elaine Legacy Center is a recognized Non-Profit with 501c3 status.  Contributions may be tax-deductible and can be made via the ELC Website or by check payable to the Elaine Legacy Center and mailed to PO Box 42, Elaine AR 72333.

For interview contacts and further information: Karen Hilfman, Fund for Reparations NOW! Board Member khilfman@earthlink.net 

For more on the Elaine, Arkansas race massacre read this article from Facing South:” From the Archives: The Elaine Massacre.”

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