- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Carl Moneyhon to give lecture on Reconstruction Era in Arkansas

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 18:14:55 +0000

Dr. Carl Moneyhon, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock history professor and Civil War expert, will give a lecture on the Reconstruction Era in Arkansas Monday, July 18, in Magnolia. The talk, “Reconstruction in Arkansas: The Failed Revolution,” will be presented to the SoWeAr Genealogical Society at 6:30 p.m. at the Columbia County Library. “Reconstruction after the American Civil War presented a difficult problem for the national government,” Moneyhon said. “First, there was the problem of recreating a democratic government in states where the political leadership had shown a desire not to be a part of the nation. Second, national authorities were forced to cope with the reality that some 3 million people, slaves, had taken their freedom during the war.” Arkansas was one of the first states to undergo Reconstruction. �ѴǲԱ��ǲ�’s lecture covers the Reconstruction Era from the fall of Little Rock in September 1863 until spring 1867. Moneyhon has published several books on the Reconstruction Era in Arkansas. He is working on a book on the connection of wartime experiences and the developed identity among Confederate soldiers. Moneyhon received the Arkansas Historical Association Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year. He joined ��Vlog��ýLR in 1973 and is a specialist in the history of the American Civil War and the South. He also is a faculty liaison with the University History Institute, an organization that develops closer ties between the department and the community, and a fellow of the Texas Historical Association. Moneyhon has served on the editorial boards of the Arkansas Historical Association’s journal, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.

Arkansas Historical Association honors ��Vlog��ýLR Institute on Race and Ethnicity, Carl Moneyhon

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 17:06:49 +0000

The Institute on Race and Ethnicity at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock was honored with three awards from the. During an April 22 ceremony, the institute received the Diamond Award for the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail, in recognition of its excellence in public history engagement, and an award of merit for the Arkansas Civil Rights History Tour. Institute Director John Kirk received the Violet B. Gingles Award for his manuscript, and Dr. Carl Moneyhon, a ��Vlog��ýLR professor of history, received the Arkansas Historical Association Lifetime Achievement Award. “The work of Dr. John Kirk and the Institute on Race and Ethnicity to document and preserve the history of civil rights in Arkansas fills a needed gap to recognize this area of Arkansas history that been neglected,” ��Vlog��ýLR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson said. “We are grateful to the Arkansas Historical Association for their recognition and for their support of the institute’s work.” Established in 2011, the honors those who made significant contributions to civil rights in Arkansas. The trail raises public awareness of the long and rich legacy of Arkansas’s civil rights history. A 12-inch bronze marker is placed in the sidewalk for each honoree. The trail begins in front of the Old State House Convention Center on Markham Street and will eventually extend to the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park and other points throughout the downtown corridor. “I think it is a reflection of the hard work that the institute has done over the past five years,” Kirk said. “These awards are an endorsement of our achievements and what the institute has done. These awards reflect the raising awareness and public consciousness of race and ethnicity in central Arkansas, which is one of the central goals of the institute.”

Institute on Race and Ethnicity receives award of merit

In addition to the Diamond Award, the institute received an award of merit, an annual award that recognizes public history programs of excellence, for the Arkansas Civil Rights History Tour App that launched in November 2015. The app, created in partnership with Little Rock city officials, offers residents and visitors a new way to explore the city’s rich civil rights history. The free Apple and Android app guides users on an excursion through some of the city’s most influential historical sites, going back to the 1840s. Each of the 35 stops on the GPS-guided tour includes compelling narratives, historic photos, audio, and links to related content. Narrated in both English and Spanish, the app also offers information about Jewish history in Little Rock, Hispanic migrations to Arkansas, and Native American tribes.

John Kirk receives Violet B. Gingles Award

In the individual award categories, Kirk received the Violet B. Gingles Award for his manuscript, “The Politics of Southern Industrialization: Winthrop Rockefeller, Orval Faubus and the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission.” The award is presented to the person who writes the best manuscript article on any Arkansas history topic. Kirk will receive $500, and his manuscript will be published in Arkansas Historical Quarterly.

John Kirk

Kirk’s manuscript covers the political events leading to Winthrop Rockefeller being elected the first Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. Rockefeller served as chairman of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission, a position Gov. Orval Faubus appointed him to in 1955. However, Rockefeller opposed Faubus’ stance on segregation. “Rockefeller saw segregation as being bad for business, and Faubus put segregation in the national spotlight by preventing nine black students from entering Central High School in 1957,” Kirk said. “It eventually led to Rockefeller running for office and beating the leading segregation candidate. It was a pivotal election for the state because Rockefeller became the first Republican governor in the state in over 90 years.”

Carl Moneyhon receives Lifetime Achievement Award

In addition to the institute’s awards, Moneyhon received the Arkansas Historical Association Lifetime Achievement Award for his research, teaching, and outreach to the public.

Carl Moneyhon

“I have felt since I came to Arkansas that there was much to be done in terms of recording the state’s history, and I have tried to do my best in filling that gap,” Moneyhon said. “I appreciate the association’s recognition of that work.” Moneyhon joined ��Vlog��ýLR in 1973. He is a specialist in the history of the American Civil War and the South and has been widely published in the field. He also is a faculty liaison with the University History Institute, an organization that develops closer ties between the department and the community, and a fellow of the Texas Historical Association. Moneyhon has served on the editorial boards of the Arkansas Historical Association’s journal, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. In the upper right photo, Tamisha Cheatham, program coordinator at the ��Vlog��ýLR Institute on Race and Ethnicity, and Chancellor Joel E. Anderson receive the Diamond Award for Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail at the Arkansas Historical Association’s award ceremony on April 22.

History professor lands $50,000 NEH grant

Shanna Fitzgerald — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 17:53:24 +0000

Susanah Shaw Romney, assistant professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, received a $50,400 fellowship award from the to conduct research on the Dutch empire. Romney was awarded the maximum amount under the Fellowships for University Teachers category to pursue her project titled “Personal Interactions and Imperial Geographies in Early Modern Dutch Colonies.” In addition to Romney, the NEH awarded fellowships to 294 other projects, for a total of $21.8 million in grants. Only two projects from Arkansas received NEH funding in the category. “NEH provides support for projects across America that preserve our heritage, promote scholarly discoveries, and make the best of America’s humanities ideas available to all Americans,” said NEH Chairman William D. Adams. Romney, who plans to write a book based on her research, will conduct a comparative study of the early modern Dutch empire in North and South America, southern Africa, and southeast Asia. “This fellowship lets me do new research on people and places that I haven’t encountered before. It gives me a chance to read records about Munsee Indians in the Hudson Valley, Khoekhoe people of southern Africa, Dutch traders in Guyana, and South Asian slaves on Java,” said Romney. “I’ll be able to bring that new perspective to students in my classes at ��Vlog��ýLR and to the scholarly community through the book that I will write,” she added. �� �� �� Romney’s previous book on the Dutch empire, “New Netherland Connections: Intimate Networks and Atlantic Ties in Seventeenth-Century America” garnered several awards, including the 2014 Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Book Prize. For more information about recently awarded NEH grants, go to. About the National Endowment for the Humanities Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at.

Meet ��Vlog��ýLR’s new History Department chair

Shanna Fitzgerald — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 13:42:55 +0000

It’s a long road from Pullman, Washington, to Arkansas. Dr. Clea Hupp’s journey to the position of History Department chair for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock was somewhat shorter. After the previous department chair, Dr. John Kirk, stepped down to become the director of the ��Vlog��ýLR Institute on Race and Ethnicity, members of the History Department chose Hupp to be his successor. The opportunity wasn’t unexpected, but the timing was. “I think it’s something that I certainly planned on doing eventually,” said Hupp, an associate professor of history, who previously served as the university’s coordinator of Middle Eastern studies. Hupp, originally from Washington state, arrived on the ��Vlog��ýLR campus in 2006. She speaks Arabic and French and is an expert in Middle Eastern history, an interest she developed after taking related courses as an undergraduate student. “I just found the area fascinating,” Hupp said. “The Middle East has such a rich cultural heritage that there’s no end to what you can learn about it. “There’s so much diversity.” Hupp’s talents also are diverse. Currently teaching world civilization and pre-modern Middle East courses at ��Vlog��ýLR, she recently won a best performance award in “Dancing with our Stars,” a benefit for the . She was new to ballroom dancing but is experienced in ballet, having performed in numerous productions, including the “Nutcracker.” Hupp also serves on the board of directors for Ballet Arkansas. A passion for fine arts runs in the family: Hupp’s husband, Bob, is the producing artistic director of the . Together, they have five adult children. Hupp said she’s looking forward to serving in her new role at ��Vlog��ýLR — an opportunity she called “exciting and challenging.”

��Vlog��ýLR announces new director for Institute on Race and Ethnicity

Shanna Fitzgerald — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 22:31:46 +0000

The new director of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity is a native of Great Britain who garnered international acclaim for his research and writings on race and the civil rights movement — with a particular focus on Little Rock. ��Vlog��ýLR officials today announced that Dr. John Kirk, Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History, has agreed to take on the important leadership role. Kirk has been a member of the Chancellor’s Committee on Race and Ethnicity since he arrived at the university more than five years ago and has been involved with the institute since its inception about four years ago. “I have a deep personal and professional commitment to the pursuit of racial and ethnic justice, and I think that should be the primary reason anyone takes on the job of director of ��Vlog��ýLR’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity — it is at the very heart of what the institute does,” Kirk said. Kirk plans to connect with and engage as many students, faculty, and community members as possible in achieving the goals of the institute, which include:

Raising awareness of race and ethnicity issues
Providing research-based information and policy recommendations
Building bridges and seeking reconciliation through interracial and interethnic dialogue
Engaging students
Serving as a clearinghouse for on- and off-campus initiatives related to race and ethnicity
Holding ��Vlog��ýLR accountable for becoming a more diverse and multi-ethnic community.

For the past 25 years, Kirk has researched and written about issues of race and ethnicity in the United States, especially in Little Rock and Arkansas. He’s the author of numerous books, including “Race and Ethnicity in Arkansas: New Perspectives,” “Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement,” and “Beyond Little Rock: The Origins and Legacies of the Central High Crisis.” He also recently partnered with the BBC on its Martin Luther King Jr. web display that serves as an information resource for an international audience. In announcing Kirk’s appointment, ��Vlog��ýLR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson noted the professor’s knowledge and passion for civil rights-related topics were ideal fits for the institute’s leadership role. “It is a rare opportunity to work with someone who grew up in Great Britain but whose knowledge of Arkansas civil rights history is probably greater than anyone else’s in Arkansas or the United States,” Anderson said. “Dr. John Kirk is a well-known resource in our community for his expertise on the many ways race has shaped our city and state. I am confident that under his leadership the ��Vlog��ýLR Institute on Race and Ethnicity will continue to grow in influence and will help shape a better future for the people of Arkansas.” Kirk replaces Dr. Michael R. Twyman, who resigned in July to take a position at the Indiana Black Expo organization. With Kirk’s new director responsibilities, he will remain the Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History but no longer will serve as the ��Vlog��ýLR History Department chair. “I am excited by the challenges and opportunities that the director’s job brings with it,” Kirk said. “I particularly look forward to getting to know more about and working with students, faculty, and community members who are learning, teaching, researching and serving on issues of race and ethnicity.”

‘Pulaski County Historical Review’ publishes McNair Scholar’s work

Shanna Fitzgerald — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 19:53:48 +0000

Brian Rodgers, ��Vlog��ýLR history student

University of Arkansas at Little Rock history major Brian Rodgers had an article published in the summer edition of the “Pulaski County Historical Review,” one of the oldest county historical organizations and publications in the state. His work, “The Ministerial Fellowship of Greater Little Rock and the Pro-Segregation Legislation of 1957,” is featured in the 63rd edition. Copies are available at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in downtown Little Rock. The piece recounts the role the Ministerial Alliance of Greater Little Rock played in defeating legislation the Arkansas General Assembly passed in 1957 to circumvent Brown v. Board of Education, Rodgers said. The was first published in 1953, two years after the Pulaski County Historical Society was formed. Its mission is to document and popularize the history of Pulaski County. Academically, Rodgers also is part of the . Only 25 ��Vlog��ýLR students are chosen each year for this national program that’s designed to help prepare high-potential students from traditionally underrepresented groups or first-generation college students for doctoral studies.

��Vlog��ýLR alumnus works with Nobel Peace Laureates at nonprofit

Gloria King — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 22:06:20 +0000

If life is like a great sculpture in progress, recent graduate Jim Stallings credits ��Vlog��ýLR and several key professors for “chiseling” him and his career. “I know that might sound cliche’ and trite, but it’s true,” he said.

��Vlog��ýLR Alumnus Jim Stallings, right, with Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee of Liberia.

Stallings is programs assistant and project manager for the Colorado-based PeaceJam Foundation, whose mission is to connect Nobel Peace Prize winners with students and teachers from around the world through a service-learning curricula and major events. The foundation has been nominated for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and seven other laureates. Stallings says that working in a nonprofit field requires someone who can adapt to rapidly changing situations and juggle a variety of tasks in order to pull off big campaigns and successful events. Recently, he helped PeaceJam host around 300 local students and teachers at one of their conferences at Regis University in Denver with the 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia. Stallings will also be headed to another conference at the University of Oregon with Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum. Currently, there are 13 Nobel Peace Laureates involved in PeaceJam programs, including the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Laureates will give public speeches, teacher trainings, and high-quality service projects with the student participants. PeaceJam typically brings in about 300 diverse students, teachers, and college volunteers to each event at campuses across the U.S., Guatemala, the United Kingdom, India, Monaco, Ghana, and South Africa. “I’d estimate that about one-third of all student participants at each conference gets personal interaction with a Nobel Peace Prize winner,” said Stallings. Throughout the rest of the year, students’ classes or after-school programs use PeaceJam curriculum to learn the history of each laureate and their country as a way to discuss social themes such as racism, gender equality, or access to natural resources. Stallings graduated from ��Vlog��ýLR in 2011 with two bachelors of art degrees (history and mass communication). In 2014, he graduated from the university with a master of arts in public history. “Working in the nonprofit and education sector requires a person to be genuine, empathetic, and professionally capable,” he said. “If I ever do anything in my job that reflects those characteristics, it’s because I’m purposefully trying to emulate those professors who invested so much time and energy in me.”

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Carl Moneyhon to give lecture on Reconstruction Era in Arkansas

Arkansas Historical Association honors ����Vlog��ýLR Institute on Race and Ethnicity, Carl Moneyhon