Black Araewness Weekend Searcy, AR 2005

White County's first community-wide Black History Awareness Weekend kicks off this Friday in Searcy.

It's a landmark event not only because it includes the county's first black parade and large-scale celebration of Black History Month, but because it will be the most visible manifestation so far of the surging sense of pride in the county black population that's been growing for at least two years.

The weekend will include a reception with keynote address, a parade, fellowship at Spring Park and programs at local churches.

The keynote speaker for the reception and program at 6 p.m. at the Carmichael Community Center Friday will be Artee Williams, director of the Arkansas Employment Security Division.

On Saturday at 11 a.m. there will be a parade in Searcy to highlight African-Americans in White County who are making history. The parade route will start on West Academy, proceed to Arch Street and then Spring Street, ending in Spring Park where refreshments will be served, said Rev. William Gant of St. Mary Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Searcy.

"We're looking for 25 entries in the parade," said Gant. "More, we hope."

Then, at 6 p.m., the Centennial Baptist Church in Kensett will host an anniversary program for the "Vessels of Praise." Finally, on Sunday, Feb. 20, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Searcy will host a Black History Program.

NEW COHESIVENESS

The well-orchestrated weekend events, involving many of the black churches in White County, is meant to signal a cohesiveness and commitment to local activity among the relatively small black community here, said Gant.

Behind that movement has been a small number of leaders, such as Larry Johnson, pastor at Pleasant Grove West in Searcy; Jerry McClure, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist in Searcy and president of the White County Ministerial Alliance; and Gant himself, who had the idea for the parade and has spearheaded it.

Gant has been president of the Searcy Ministerial Alliance only since early January, but Al Fowler, secretary to the alliance, credits him not only with planning the Black Awareness Weekend but with encouraging each congregation to develop a drug awareness program.

"He's also helped increase awareness regarding the operations of our benevolence program and the White County Jail Ministry," said Fowler. "His work in the neighborhood of St. Mary's has made the police aware of his action to reclaim the neighborhood.

KNOWLEDGE, VICTORY

"He's the kind of guy, if he's driving down the street and sees a couple of guys loitering around, he'll stop the car and talk to them. They'll put away the beer and stand straight for him," said Fowler.

Awareness and pride seem to be what Gant is about. The theme for this weekend's events is "Knowledge is Power: Victory at the Door." It is his slogan.

"Knowledge is Power" highlights the significant achievements of lesser-known African-Americans, according to literature Gant is handing out. "Victory at the Door" promotes the achievements of White County residents who are currently making history.

Gant is in his third year's term as assigned Methodist preacher at St. Mary CME Church.

"I just moved from Hope (Ark.) in July, 2002," he said. "I commuted for a year the 160 miles. I Came on Friday night and tried to do a week's work in a weekend."

He was told when he started that he'd have 70 members on roll, but only about 10 attending.

"But people came out to see the new preacher, and a lot kept coming," he said. "We have about 45-55 now, depending on the Sunday."

Like many people, he has been frustrated at the relative inactivity, even silence, from the black community in civic and business matters.

"Sometimes you get used to the status quo," he said. "You think it's impossible for a black to win an elected office, so why run. You think you can't get a hearing at the city council, so why go. If they aren't committed to what they want to do, people will use this as an excuse not to participate."

He thinks the general estimate of the size of the black population in White County at 4 percent is about accurate, but isn't satisfied with what that population has made of itself.

LEADERSHIP PROBLEM

"We've had a leadership problem. For African-Americans, the church has taken the leadership role, but for a long time, few black pastors lived here in Searcy. Churches operated on weekends. I'd come up if I was called that someone was in the hospital or something, but it would take 2 1/2 hours to get here, and things might change," he said.

But just before Gant and his wife moved to Searcy, other things did begin to change. A series of shootings in a predominantly black area of Searcy stirred the community.

"Larry Johnson called the community to prayer every Tuesday night," Gant said. "Out of that grew the Concerned Citizens for the Community, the tutoring program and the Neighborhood Watch."

The Neighborhood Watch program now has nine block captains on watch, said Gant.

"Basically, it covers the black area of Main Street to Beebe-Capps at Pleasure Street and the Carmichael Center area."

The tutoring program, run by Anita Rice and staffed by parent volunteers, now has 13 kids coming each Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to Fellowship Hall at St. Mary for help with school.

Last year, Gant helped organize a block party with county and city officials showing up to help the community celebrate their pride.

"Since I've been here, community involvement has been growing," Gant said. The Awareness Weekend organization includes work by a committee on black history, for instance.

USING EXAMPLES

"We're trying to make people aware of our past and present people in leadership who have paved the way, people in management and pillars of the community, to say to our people the door's open and you can go through it," said Gant. "And to say to the white community that there are those of as capable and as willing as anyone to do jobs here."

Part of the awareness he's promoting is that the doors to success for blacks really are open.

"Blacks don't apply for top positions enough with industry because they're afraid they won't get the job," he said. "Sometimes we feel like we need to start at the top instead of at the bottom. The impression I'm getting from Searcy is that employers would hire blacks if more qualified ones would apply. But you have to be qualified and you have to be willing to work hard for respect."

Gant isn't alone in his determination to raise ambitions and create success for blacks in white county, and he's still relatively new here. But he plans to stay.

"Sometimes senior members in our church have a chance to ask the bishop to let them stay. We're looking for housing right now so we can stay here," Gant said.