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Press Release: 10th Anniversary Black Hall of Fame


Seven outstanding achievers with Arkansas ties will be honored at the 10th Annual Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, October 19, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wally Allen Ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

The evening of accolades and entertainment is modeled after the Kennedy Center Honors and is considered to be one of the state's major social events of the year. Inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame are selected and recognized for their significant contributions to American-American heritage and culture. They exemplify excellence in their chosen fields and have contributed to the building of America. The inductees for the 2002 Black Hall of Fame are as follows:

  • The Rev. Al Green of Memphis and Forrest City, Arkansas native, R&B/gospel recording artist and 1995 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
  • Dr. Edith Irby-Jones of Houston, who in 1952 became the first black graduate at the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the first woman to lead the National Medical Association, an organization of black physicians.
  • Al Bell of North Little Rock, who was the driving force behind the legendary Stax Records the label said to be one of the most musically and culturally influential labels of the second half of the 20th century.
  • Haki Madhubuti of Chicago, born in Little Rock, Madhubuti is an award-winning poet, author, educator and founder of Third World Press, Inc., the nations' oldest continuously operating independent Black book publisher.
  • Faye Clarke of Long, Beach, California is a Pine Bluff native who is co-founder and executive director of the Educate the Children Foundation based in Huntington Beach, California.
  • Bishop Charles Harrison Mason (posthumous) is the founder of the Church of God in Christ, Inc, one of the largest Christian denominations in the country.
  • William Jefferson Clinton (honorary), 42nd president of the United States and former Arkansas governor, will receive an honorary award to recognize the special relationship that exists between himself and the black community and for his ongoing efforts on behalf of the black community both nationally and internationally.

    The black-tie gala will officially begin with an invitation-only VIP Reception at 6:00 p.m. at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. The motorcade of honorees and their families will have a police escort to the Statehouse Convention Center for the Induction Ceremony that will begin at 7:30 p.m. An after-party celebration, hosted by J.M. Products of Little Rock, will begin immediately following the Induction Ceremony and will be held at the Peabody Hotel.

    Previous inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame include such notables as poet Maya Angelou; Little Rock Nine member Ernest Green; Ebony and Jet magazine publisher John H. Johnson, Jr.; former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders; best-selling author E. Lynn Harris; and television/motion picture actors Lela Rochon and Phyllis Yvonne Stickney.

    The honorary co-chairmen of this 10th anniversary event are The Honorable Mike Huckabee, governor of Arkansas, and Little Rock attorney Richard Mays.

    The Black Hall of Fame is a fundraiser for the Arkansas Regional Minority Supplier Development Council, a nonprofit organization chartered to help build a stronger, more equitable society by supporting minority business development. Tickets are $100 per person and may be obtained by calling the ARMSDC at (501) 374-7026.

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