The Arkansas State University Museum hosted a panel discussion about the Black business district of Jonesboro. 

The museum welcomed panelists Carolyn Sheppard, Erma Munns and Reginald “Ray” Prunty. These Jonesboro natives shared stories and facilitated lively discussions about the Black business district.

Jill Kary, museum curator of education and events coordinator said the event is important for preserving history, avoiding repeating past mistakes and appreciating the past.

“I hope that people walk away from this with a bigger, a better understanding of their elders, that they are an encyclopedia walking around, and perhaps they will take these folks more seriously,” Kary said.

Panelist Prunty said educating future generations on the black business district is vital.

“Teaching is one of the greatest things that we can do, traditional wealth and teaching our kids the things that we know,”  Prunty said.

Prunty also said retention is important to serve the next generation and rebuild Black businesses in Jonesboro today.

“Retention means keeping our kids here. Well, you can’t keep them here if there’s nothing here today,” Prunty said. “So as we build our businesses today, we need to grab somebody’s child to teach him. A lot of our kids are lost. We as a community have to reach out and teach our kids a better way.”

Sheppard, another panelist, said living on the North side of Jonesboro is different today than it was in the past. She said, as a child, she connected with her community in various engaging ways. Attending church services, playing sports and talking on the porch outside her house were some of the activities she said she recalled from her childhood. 

Elisabeth Engel, the director and curator of collections, created an exhibit detailing the Black Business District that is displayed in the museum. She said her goal of the exhibit was to educate.

“We want people to enjoy this space and feel like they’ve learned something, like they’ve been transported in time,” Engel said.

Katherine Baker, an associate professor of art history, will lead a related upcoming project that she said will continue the movement of Black history in Jonesboro. She said the next project will be a collaboration between several groups on campus and the Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Department.

“There is going to be a walking trail and along that path, there will be four sculptures that are set up as part of the Martin Luther King Jr Freedom Trail,” Baker said. “They need to be designed, but they can’t be designed without community input, because the idea of what these sculptures are supposed to represent is both the words and the inspiration of Dr Martin Luther King, but also global stories.”

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