Sequoyah National Research Center - News - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Leads Nation in Preserving Native American World War I History

Justin Bates — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

More than 12,000 American Indian and Alaska Native men served in World War I, yet many of their stories have long been scattered or overlooked. Now, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is leading a national effort to restore them to the historical record.

Through its Modern Warriors of World War I project, the is the first institution to undertake the task of identifying and documenting all Native service members who served during the war. What began in 2017 as part of the centennial commemoration of America’s entry into World War I has grown into a groundbreaking national archive.

“When we began Modern Warriors of World War I in 2017, no one else had ever attempted to identify all 12,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives who served in the war,” said Erin Fehr, assistant director and archivist of the Sequoyah National Research Center. “We are striving to preserve their stories and share them with their descendants, tribes, and scholars around the world.”

The scope of the work places ��Vlog��ý Little Rock at the center of a national conversation about Indigenous military service and historical recognition. While Native Code Talkers are widely known, far less scholarship has explored the individual contributions of the thousands of Indigenous men who served in infantry units, naval operations, aviation, medical corps, and other roles during World War I.

“There is very little scholarship about the individual contributions of Native American service members from WWI,” Fehr said. “We want to ensure that all service is recognized and remembered, regardless if they served for only one day or for the entire war.”

About one-third of those Native men were not U.S. citizens at the time they enlisted or were drafted. Citizenship would not be extended to all Native Americans until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 — legislation influenced in part by Native military service during the war.

“They served not just for the United States,” Fehr said, “but they served to protect their families and homelands.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s leadership in this work is built on decades of research and relationship-building. The Sequoyah National Research Center is home to the world’s largest collection of Native American newspapers and periodicals, a distinction that provides a unique foundation for identifying veterans and understanding how their communities honor their service.

The center’s longstanding partnerships with tribal nations have been central to the project’s success. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma collaborated with researchers to document more than 300 of its WWI veterans. The Comanche Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe have also worked alongside the center to ensure their veterans are represented accurately. Families of veterans have contributed photographs, letters, and personal records — strengthening the archive through community engagement.

“We have built relationships with various tribes and their cultural institutions, which allows us to collaborate in order to gather this information for our new website,” Fehr said.

The project’s impact extends beyond documentation. In partnership with the World War One Valor Medals Review Task Force at the George S. Robb Centre for the Study of the Great War, the Sequoyah National Research Center has helped identify 25 Native veterans eligible for review for a possible Medal of Honor. In 2018, Congress mandated a systematic review of minority World War I service members who may have been overlooked for the nation’s highest military honor due to race. Final determinations will be made by the Department of Defense.

By contributing research to this national review process, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is playing a direct role in addressing historic inequities in military recognition.

At the heart of the initiative is a commitment to humanizing service members whose stories have too often been reduced to statistics.

“Native Americans have been invisible in contemporary scholarship, and historically, when Native Americans are documented, it has been with a clinical approach,” Fehr said. “Modern Warriors of World War I seeks to humanize the individual by focusing on their personal experiences as seen through personal letters, photographs, and more. While their service was over one hundred years ago, they deserve to be remembered as more than just a number.”

The forthcoming Modern Warriors of World War I website, expected to launch this summer, will serve as a central national repository featuring individual profiles, military records, letters, and photographs gathered from institutions across the country, including the National Archives and Records Administration and numerous state archives and historical societies.

“To our knowledge, this will be the only website of its kind,” Fehr said. “This unique resource will expand scholarship, commemorate service, and celebrate Native American stories by providing access to primary resources.”

The work also carries local resonance. During World War I, Camp Pike — now Camp Joseph T. Robinson — served as a major training center near Little Rock for soldiers from Arkansas and Oklahoma, including Native service members. That connection underscores how ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s leadership in preserving Indigenous military history is rooted both in regional history and national impact.

With approximately half of the estimated 12,000 Native service members identified so far, the project continues to grow. As new names are uncovered and additional records are shared, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock remains at the forefront of ensuring these veterans are recognized as an integral part of American history.

Through research, partnership, and digital innovation, the Sequoyah National Research Center is not simply preserving the past — it is leading the nation in redefining how it is remembered.To learn more about the Sequoyah National Research Center, visit .

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Baseball and Boarding Schools: ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Archivist to Reveal American Indian Contributions to Arkansas Minor Leagues

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

The story of American Indians in baseball is a complex narrative rooted in cultural disruption, resilience, and athletic prowess. This history, which includes significant contributions to Arkansas minor league baseball, will be the focus of the next presented by the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

Erin Fehr, archivist and assistant director of the Sequoyah National Research Center at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, will present, “American Indians in American Baseball,” at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave. in Little Rock, and virtually via Zoom. Drinks and cookies will be provided. Those who would like to attend should to register.

American Indians were first introduced to the sport in off-reservation boarding schools. They later turned their new skills into a profession, playing in minor leagues across the country, including Arkansas. Immediately following World War I, the popularity of baseball surged, and the Little Rock Travelers and other small baseball teams in the state began employing several American Indian ball players.

“When I stumbled upon this story a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised,” Fehr said. “Very few people know that American Indians played baseball in Arkansas, and some even moved on to the major leagues.”

Fehr’s presentation will highlight the key roles of players like William Wano (Potawatomi) and Moses Yellow Horse (Pawnee), who helped lead the Little Rock Travelers to victory as the Southern League Champions in 1920. Fehr will also explore how World War I impacted baseball and set the stage for this new era of professional players.

Fehr, who was born and raised in the Delta region of eastern Arkansas and celebrates her Yup’ik heritage, enjoys presenting on topics that challenge the stereotypes of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

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��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Chef Sean Sherman for Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:55:00 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will welcome world-renowned chef, author, and Indigenous food systems advocate Chef Sean Sherman to Little Rock for a series of events on Oct. 21-22 as part of the Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series.

Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in revitalizing and reimagining Indigenous foodways. Sherman’s events will explore the intersections of food, culture, sustainability, and community health. All events are free and open to the public, though registration is encouraged by visiting this website.

The two-day program begins Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., with “Our Food Systems: A Community Conversation.” Cory Babb, chef and owner of Firelight Farm in Searcy, and Sylvia Blain, chief executive officer of Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, will join Sherman for a conversation about the politics of local foodways. Locally sourced hors d’oeuvres will be served.

The conversation, moderated by Jack Sundell, owner of the Root Café in Little Rock, will take place alongside a new exhibit at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown. The exhibit, “Native (Mis)representations,” examines harmful stereotypes of American Indians and Alaska Natives through materials from the Hirschfelder-Molin Native American Stereotypes Collection. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, can be seen from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown through Jan. 30, 2026.

“The Hirschfelder-Molin Native American Stereotypes Collection was donated to the Sequoyah National Research Center in 2012 by Arlene Hirschfelder and Paulette Fairbanks Molin (White Earth Ojibwe),” said Erin Fehr, assistant director and archivist at the Sequoyah National Research Center. “These two women spent 40 years collecting the more than 1,500 items in the collection to raise awareness of the harmful and lasting impacts of stereotypes on Native peoples.”

On Oct. 22 at 1 p.m., Sherman will lead participants on an “Interactive Foraging Journey with Chef Sherman” starting at the Sequoyah National Research Center in the Fine Arts Building at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Together with Dr. Maureece Levin, assistant professor of anthropology, and her students in the Plants and People class, Sherman will guide attendees through an exploration of edible plants on ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s campus, followed by an outdoor cooking demonstration. Bo Brown, an author, songbird biologist, and forager specializing in the plants of the Ozarks, will join Sherman during this event.

Sherman’s keynote lecture, “The (R)evolution of Indigenous Foodways,” will take place Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave. Moderated by Fehr, Sherman will share his journey of rediscovering and elevating Native American culinary traditions and discuss how Indigenous food systems are shaping a more equitable and sustainable future.

Sherman’s impact extends far beyond the kitchen. His nonprofit NATIFS works to make Native foods more accessible while addressing health disparities and economic challenges in Indigenous communities. His restaurant, Owamni by The Sioux Chef, was named the 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best New Restaurant in America. His acclaimed book, “,” won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2018. In 2023, he was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and received the Julia Child Award for culinary activism and innovation.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock administrators said the series of events reflects the university’s mission to connect Arkansans with globally relevant conversations.

“Chef Sherman’s work highlights how food connects us to our past while shaping our future,” said Dr. Jess Porter, executive director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture. “By bringing him to Little Rock, we are creating space for meaningful dialogue about culture, sustainability, and resilience that benefits both our campus and the broader community.”

The Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series, established in 1972, honors the legacy of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller by bringing nationally recognized speakers to University of Arkansas campuses. The series enriches the cultural and intellectual life of Arkansans by fostering discussion, sparking new ideas, and promoting lifelong learning.

For more information about the events, contact the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture at cahc@ualr.edu or 501-320-5780.

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��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown Opens New Exhibit on History of Music in Arkansas

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:02:00 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown is celebrating the rich musical heritage of Arkansas with a new exhibit, “Arkansans and Their Music,” now open to the public through May 15.

The exhibit explores how ordinary Arkansans lived with and through music during the 19th and 20th centuries, featuring a collection of stories, photographs, and artifacts from university collections and state archives.

“This exhibit is a celebration of our community,” said Dr. Marta Cieslak, director of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown. “When we think about the history of music, we often focus on famous musicians, but all famous artists were once unknown. We want to tell the stories of everyday Arkansans who found meaning in music, whether they became stars or not.”

The exhibit includes rare photographs from the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, two Choctaw-language Christian hymn books from the Sequoyah National Research Center, a panel on Arkansas’s four official state songs, and 3D artifacts such as the boots of Arkansas-born country music star Patsy Montana, on loan from the Old State House Museum. The exhibit also contains items from the Arkansas State Archives and the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

The exhibit was inspired, in part, by conversations with Stephen Koch, author and host of “,” who has written about women’s contributions to Arkansas music history. Koch will be the featured speaker during a special event at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown at 5:30 p.m. on April 9, where he will discuss his research and the state’s musical legacy.

“We’ve already had visitors connect deeply with these stories,” Cieslak said. “People share memories of band, choir, or teaching music, and it’s amazing to see how personal the history of music is to so many.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown, located at 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to schedule a personalized tour by emailing downtown@ualr.edu. The exhibit is free and welcomes anyone interested in discovering the state’s musical history.

“We hope people find their own experiences reflected in this exhibit,” Cieslak said. “There are so many stories of Arkansans who self-published their music or wrote songs about the state. We’d love for visitors to share their own stories with us, too.”

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Sequoyah National Research Center Receives $20,000 from National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:55:03 +0000

The National Society of the have donated $20,000 to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Sequoyah National Research Center.

Sequoyah holds the largest collection of Native American expression in the world. The donation will help Sequoyah carry out their mission of fostering a creative and engaging atmosphere of research for the study of Native Americans by providing access to unique resources by and about Native peoples.

“When the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) approached the Sequoyah National Research Center with an offer to assist us in carrying out our mission, we responded that a book fund would be helpful,” said Dr. Daniel Littlefield, executive director of Sequoyah. “This generous donation will help us bring our library up to date, enabling us to better serve our research patrons. It is wonderful when a nonprofit organization like the DAR recognizes our mission and supports our efforts to help put ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on the international map of research institutions.”

The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution is a nonprofit volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to preserving American history, securing America’s future through better education, and promoting patriotism.

“This donation will carry out the Sequoyah National Research Center’s mission to archive the words of Native peoples, preserve their manuscripts and other archival materials and bring the library up to date by acquiring books available from tribally owned and directed presses, acquiring books available from presses that have historically published books by Native writers and about Native history and culture, acquiring books available from books sellers, and using in-house bibliographies of Native issues of Native journals in their library such as American Indian Culture and Research Journal and Yellow Medicine Review,” said NSDAR Reporter General Junelle Mongno, of Cabot, who presented the donation.

Mongno said that the donation comes through the society’s American Indian Committee, which promotes continuing education of the history and culture of this community and supports the educational pursuits of its citizens.

“We are so appreciative of the generosity of the Daughters of the American Revolution for investing in the Sequoyah National Research Center,” said Erin Fehr, assistant director and archivist with Sequoyah. “Their gift will enable us to provide more resources to our students and researchers that travel to use our collections.”

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Sequoyah National Research Center Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:03:02 +0000

November is Native American Heritage Month, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Sequoyah National Research Center is helping to celebrate by sharing knowledge of Native American history and culture across Arkansas throughout November.

On Friday, Nov. 8, the public will have two chances to see readings of Diane Glancy’s play “William Tincup’s Squaw,” in partnership with the School of Literary and Performing Arts. The play will be read at 2 p.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building and 5 p.m. at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave.

“This is one of Diane Glancy’s plays that she submitted for the Best Play Prize in the 1980s at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum,” said Erin Fehr, assistant director of the Sequoyah National Research Center. “The competition was an important way to foster a new genre of Native American plays. This play has been sitting in the archives for decades, and I don’t believe it’s ever been performed. We are excited to team up with Dr. Larry Smith from the School of Literary and Performing Arts so that the play will see new light.”

The play is a story of the Cherokee Removal of 1839. This first Cherokee “Trail of Tears” was a 950-mile-long forced relocation from Georgia through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas to the new Cherokee Nation located in present-day Oklahoma. The play is a part of the Garrard Ardeneum Collection at the Sequoyah National Research Center.

The cast of readers for the play include ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty, staff, students, and community members:

Valerise Bell-Ovwiomoriemu, music major
April Chatham-Carpenter, chair of the Department of Applied Communication
Doug Cortes, director of the Business Innovations Legal Clinic at William H. Bowen School of Law
Grant Diffee, community member
Kenshi Lewis, theatre arts major
Maritza Moore, theatre arts major
Levey Saintil, American Sign Language Studies major
Rex Wilkins, visiting assistant professor of Spanish

“It’s important for people to see how archives can be brought to life, and how they can be used today,” Fehr said. “A lot of people think archives are old and dusty and are only useful to researchers who are writing a book, but maybe seeing this play will spark some curiosity about what else we have in the archives.”

In addition to the play, Dr. Daniel Littlefield, director of the Sequoyah National Research Center, will attend the Corvettes and Veterans event Nov. 10 at War Memorial Stadium, where he will deliver the land acknowledgement statement and present an educational display on behalf of Sequoyah.

Dr. Littlefield and Fehr will also be speaking at places like Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas National Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, and the American Indian Center of Arkansas Gala throughout November.

With the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Littlefield will discuss the Arkansas Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association’s ongoing project to mark nine sites along the Arkansas River between Arkansas Post and Fort Smith that were important sites along the Trail of Tears. The Arkansas Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association received a $50,000 grant from the National Park Service Foundation to place interpretive signs and markers at the locations.

Fehr will also attend the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference. She will be on a group panel with members of the Cherokee Nation to discuss a collaborative event held in February to commemorate the 196th anniversary of the first publication of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper.

Additionally, she will speak about Sequoyah’s work on the Modern Warriors of World War I project. Sequoyah has created a database of Native American veterans who served during World War I to remember their legacy of bravery and sacrifice, and they are still working to identify more of the 12,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives that served. The Valor Medals Review Act allows for the records of minorities who served during World War I to be reexamined to determine if they should receive medals posthumously. To qualify for a review, the veterans must have received a Distinguished Service Cross, a Navy Cross or a Croix de Guerre with Palm, but then had their honors downgraded.

“I’m hoping that the audience can help us find even more deserving Native American veterans of World War I that we don’t know about,” Fehr said. “The deadline for review for the Valor Medals Review Act has been extended to 2028, so we still have four years to find new veterans. To date, we have found 25 Native American veterans that qualify for review.”

The Sequoyah National Research Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but they suggest you call at 501-916-3336 before coming to visit. They currently have a small exhibit set up featuring artwork, baskets, pottery, handmade dolls, and Navajo jewelry.

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Sequoyah National Research Centers Helps Celebrate History of Cherokee Journalism

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 13:05:59 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Sequoyah National Research Center helped commemorate the history of journalism in the Cherokee Nation by joining the “Cherokee Journalism and Printing” event celebrating the 196th anniversary of the first edition of the Cherokee Phoenix.

The Cherokee Phoenix is the first newspaper published by Native Americans in the U.S. as well as the first newspaper published in a Native American language.

Erin Fehr, assistant director of Sequoyah, attended the event held Feb. 21 at the and the in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Visitors had the opportunity to view materials printed in the Cherokee syllabary from the collections of the Sequoyah National Research Center along with the .

“The Sequoyah National Research Center is the world’s largest collection of Native American periodicals, and the Cherokee Phoenix is one of the many newspapers we have in our collection,” Fehr said. “Dr. Daniel Littlefield and Dr. James Parins (Sequoyah founders) wrote a three-volume set back in the 1980s highlighting the history of Native publishing, and the Cherokee Phoenix was one of those highlighted as it was the very first tribal newspaper to be published in the country.”

The Sequoyah materials on display at the event included a 1910 edition of the Indian Home and Farm newspaper that was published in four languages and is the only known copy to exist. Fehr also displayed a set of four comics published in English and Cherokee in 1975 in collaboration with the Cherokee Bilingual Education Program.

“The set of comics were definitely highlights,” Fehr said. “The comics included ‘Popeye,’ Beetle Bailey,’ and ‘Blondie.’ Visitors asked a lot of questions about the comics.”

Visitors also listened to panels of Cherokee journalists and artists who discussed the work of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper and the efforts to preserve the written Cherokee language. Fehr moderated a panel celebrating the past, present, and future of Cherokee journalism featuring Tyler Thomas, executive editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, and Roy Boney Jr., a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus who was manager of the Cherokee Language Technology Program at the time but now works for the Cherokee Film Commission.

The Cherokee Phoenix also holds a unique place in Native freedom of the press history, according to Fehr.

“There are only five tribal newspapers in the country that have free press provisions, meaning they can print whatever they want without fear of retaliation,” Fehr said. “Not many people realize that freedom of the press isn’t a given for a tribal newspaper. The Cherokee Nation was the first to add a free press provision to its constitution in 2000. It’s easy to say that the Cherokee Phoenix has been a forerunner in many areas as far as Native journalism is concerned.”

The Sequoyah National Research Center contains early editions of the Cherokee Phoenix from the 1800s on microfilm as well as print copies from when the newspaper began reprinting again in the 1970s.

“We have over 100 years of Cherokee newspapers represented in our archives,” Fehr said. “We really enjoyed collaborating with the Cherokee Nation on this project, and we think it is the first of many collaborations to come. We hope to do this next year to celebrate the 197th anniversary of the Cherokee Phoenix.”

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��Vlog��ý Little Rock Archivist Explores Intersection of Native American Mythology and Solar Eclipse

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:15:43 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock archivist will delve into the captivating realm of Native American mythology and celestial phenomena in two upcoming presentations.

Drawing on her extensive expertise in Native American history, Erin Fehr, assistant director and archivist at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Sequoyah National Research Center, will shed light on the significance of solar eclipses within Native American mythology, offering unique insights into the intersection of myth and science.

“There are 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes in the United States, and each of them has their own beliefs regarding solar eclipses,” Fehr said. “They did use stories to explain this phenomenon to show that it wasn’t something to be scared of.”

In her first talk, Fehr will give a presentation during a free family solar eclipse event at 3:30 p.m. April 3 at Argenta Public Library in North Little Rock. She will discuss how Native Americans view the eclipse and traditional stories surrounding the eclipse.

On April 5, Fehr will give a presentation, “Storytelling: Native Americans and the Eclipse,” at 6 p.m. at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. In honor of the exhibition “,” AMFA takes this extraordinary opportunity to explore the 2024 total solar eclipse through indigenous knowledge and storytelling. The talk is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Those interested can sign up for tickets .

According to Fehr, cultural narratives regarding the solar eclipse vary widely.

“The Navajos view the solar eclipse as a sacred time; it’s a time of quiet and meditation,” Fehr said. “They stay inside, and they don’t eat, drink, or sleep. They reflect on their lives. When the eclipse is over, it’s seen as a time of rebirth and renewal. Some treat the solar eclipse like a new year and will make resolutions. Even though it’s a sacred time and they aren’t supposed to look at the sun, some will do so. It’s up to the individual families to determine.”

The Cherokees, meanwhile, have a story that tells of a giant frog who swallows the sun.

“When the frog swallows the sun, it goes dark,” Fehr said. “The Cherokee people have to figure out how to get the frog to spit out the sun. The men will take rifles and guns and shoot in the air and beat on drums. The women will take shell shakers and bang on pots and pans. They make lots of noise to scare the frog so the frog will spit out the sun. That is the end of the eclipse, and it ends with a celebration of the return of the sun.”

Fehr said that solar eclipses have also been useful in dating significant events in Native American history.

“When the Iroquois Confederacy was created, according to documentation of that time, there was a solar eclipse,” Fehr said. “They know where the documents were signed, and they were able to trace the exact date to 1142. It’s because of the eclipse that they were able to date the birth of the Iroquois Confederacy.”

Similarly, a cave drawing depicting a solar eclipse from the Pueblo people that lived in the Southwestern U.S. also has historic significance.

“There is evidence of an eclipse that happened in 1097 that is depicted in a petroglyph in Chaco Canyon,” Fehr said. “This may be the earliest historic documentation where Native people in what is now the United States witnessed a solar eclipse.”

The total solar eclipse provides a unique opportunity to illuminate the rich tapestry of indigenous beliefs and their enduring relevance in understanding celestial events.

“I think it’s interesting to learn how different cultures view a certain event,” Fehr said. “A total solar eclipse is a phenomenon that might be a once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience. This marks a great opportunity to learn more about these stories, traditions, and perspectives that we might not otherwise know about.”

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��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Hold Annual Discover Day Nov. 8

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:07:21 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will hold the 2023 Discover Day Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Discover Day is one of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s largest admissions events. It gives potential and incoming freshmen and parents the opportunity to explore all the university has to offer.

The event will have several fun activities and will provide ample information about how ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has established such a close-knit community of staff, faculty, students, and alumni in the middle of a metropolitan city.

The Academic Expo and Academic Sessions will showcase the majors and academic clubs available on campus. Students who plan to enroll in classes in 2024 can complete an admission application for free and learn more about financial aid and scholarship opportunities. The day will also offer scholarship contests, campus and housing tours, a chance to meet the Greeks, and a free lunch.

Several pop-up activities will be available for visitors including tours of the innovative Center for Simulation Innovation in the School of Nursing and the Sequoyah National Research Center, an Internet of Things demonstration, and an interactive session with the School of Social Work. Visitors can also check out the First-Generation College Student Celebration and the Cardboard Boat Regatta in celebration of Homecoming Week.

Click here for more information about Discover Day and how it will better prepare future students for success at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.

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Littlefield Named “Legend Among Us” for Contributions to Black History

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:41:30 +0000

Longtime University of Arkansas at Little Rock educator and historian Dr. Daniel Littlefield will be honored as a “Legend Among Us” for his contributions to Black history.

Littlefield, director of the Sequoyah National Research Center at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, will be honored during the 8th Annual Arkansas Heritage Celebration of Black History Month “Legend Among Us” presentation. The event will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center and will be .

“A legend is not a term I would use to describe myself, but I am honored that others might see me in that light,” Littlefield said of the award. “Whoever I am or whatever I am, I enjoy the work I do.”

The event will also include a remembrance of the late Dr. Raye Jean Montague by Carla Coleman. Raye Montague is the mother of Dr. David Montague, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.

Author Jason Irby, who will be presenting the award, said Littlefield was selected for his unique scholarship at the intersection of shared Black and Native American history.

“Dr. Littlefield has investigated the shared American Heritage that exposes the relationship among these two cultures and the forgotten experiences among friends, family, and the enslaved,” Irby said. “This American story has been buried in the past and is only most remembered by a generation that is quickly passing away. His efforts and research bring the past to the forefront and ties loose ends together and completes pieces missing from a puzzled past. This is a tale of blood, sweat, and a Trail of Tears.”

Littlefield has worked continuously to share and preserve documents in the Sequoyah National Research Center that detail “new beginnings, old practices that pass away, and people that survive together while still being denied humanity or livelihood,” Irby said.

After joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as a professor in 1970, Littlefield served as the director of the American Native Press Archives, the world’s largest archival repository of Native American newspapers and periodicals, from 1983 to 2005. He left teaching in 2005 to join the newly created Sequoyah National Research Center, which houses the archives and other major collections.

“Dr. Littlefield deserves all the accolades for his lifetime commitment to the truth in history and archives,” said Littlefield’s colleague, Erin Fehr, assistant director of Sequoyah. “He built his career by seeking out untold stories to tell and by creating a legacy built on hard work and generosity. I am so pleased that he is being honored as a Legend Among Us.”

In addition, Littlefield has been a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow in the Institute of Southern and Negro History at John’s Hopkins University; has been a visiting professor of history at the University of Arizona, where he was an assistant editor of “Arizona and the West;” and has taught as a visiting professor of English at the University of Alabama, as well as a distinguished visiting professor of ethno-history at Colgate University.

Littlefield’s most recent research concerns the Dawes Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes and Indian removal. He has served as a member of the Cherokee Nation’s Great State of Sequoyah Commission and a member of the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Humanities Council.

In 2001, Littlefield was inducted into the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame. The Arkansas Historical Association honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 for his co-founding of the Sequoyah National Research Center and his promotion of Arkansas history. At the end of the spring semester, Littlefield will celebrate the completion of 63 years in his career as a teacher and scholar.

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Sequoyah National Research Center - News - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Leads Nation in Preserving Native American World War I History

Baseball and Boarding Schools: ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Archivist to Reveal American Indian Contributions to Arkansas Minor Leagues

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Chef Sean Sherman for Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown Opens New Exhibit on History of Music in Arkansas