Celebrating Black History in Malvern
Community members joined students and faculty of the Malvern School District on campus Monday evening to honor local African Americans, their successes and their vast contributions to the community, in celebration of Black History Month.
“Celebrating Black History in Malvern: Honoring Our Very Own Community of Black History Heroes” was presented by students from Wilson Intermediate, Malvern Middle School and Malvern High School.
The ceremony was held in the high school’s Edward E. and Henrietta Fanning Bailey Auditorium, which was renamed in 2018 in honor of two beloved former MSD educators, both of whom would be recognized during the ceremony that evening.
MSD Assistant Superintendent, Lillian Harper, gave the welcome address and was assisted on stage by her daughter and Mistress of Ceremony, Amarria Harper. Lillian worked closely with the students and the event’s planning committee, comprised of Gervante Campbell, Amarria Harper, Phyllis Murdock and Lori Phillips, to organize the presentation,
Students took turns coming to the stage to present information about their designated honoree. MSD student Maekya Cooper took the stage first to shine a light on Mr. Raymond Adams.
Adams was born in Perla on Dec. 24, 1946. He attended broadcasting school in Chicago and worked at several radio stations. He had dreams of being a lawyer, a preacher, or an entertainer, but little did he know in his youth that he would go on to be the Mayor of Perla.
“His greatest achievement to the Malvern community was speaking up for what was right and working towards a better future for Malvern, Arkansas,” Cooper said.
Mr. Edward and Mrs. Henrietta Bailey were then recognized by MSD students, Kylie Barbary and Van Lian. The students said the Baileys were being recognized “for their outstanding contributions to the education of countless students in the Malvern area.”
Edward served several schools in Malvern as an elementary and high school teacher and as a principal during his 37-year educational career, including Perla Elementary, Tuggle Elementary, Malvern Colored High School, A.A. Wilson High School and Malvern High School.
Henrietta served as a teacher and guidance counselor for 40 years, beginning in Ashdown before moving to schools in the Malvern area. Both Edward and Henrietta attended Philander Smith College for their undergraduate degrees and received advanced education degrees at Columbia University’s prestigious Teacher’s College.
“As highly trained and professional educators, Mr. and Mrs. Bailey mentored, taught, counseled and helped generations of students
achieve their academic goals,” according to the students’ presentation. Their impact is still felt by their former students, many of whom went on to become successful, productive members of their respective communities and give a lot of the credit for that to Mr. and Mrs. Bailey.
Student Addison Beene presented information in honor of Mrs. Lillian Beard. Beard was born in Malvern in 1931 to Rev. Hartsell and and Louise Gloster Smith. A devout Christian, Lillian attended several local churches before making Mt. Zion Baptist Church her permanent house of worship, where she shared her musical talents with the the Mt. Zion congregation and supported other local church choirs and musical performances.
Beard was a skilled psychiatric technical nurse, a licensed cosmetologist and beauty shop owner, and a compassionate civic leader who was a member of the HSC Democratic Committee, a founder of the Malvern Wilson Reunion that gathers every few years, and a founding board member of the Henson Benson Foundation.
Beard thrived in Malvern because of the safe and supportive atmosphere provided to her by loving, devoted parents, and she provided a similar environment for her adoring children. Her wonderful legacy is kept alive by her children, other descendants and numerous friends left behind who are active in the community, dedicated to helping others, and setting a standard Lillian would be proud of.
Mrs. Willie B. Boothe was recognized on stage by Addacyn-jae Delamar.. Boothe was the 16th of 17 children born to Marcus and Lillian Robert Marshall in 1935 Carthage and moved with the family to Malvern when she was six years old.
Boothe attended colleges in Little Rock and Texarkana with no concrete plans for a career, but after seeing her friend Charles Carroll in action at the barber chair, she was inspired to pursue her own schooling and certification as a barber.
Boothe has been happily cutting hair for a grateful community for over 54 years, providing a safe haven and pleasant atmosphere for the African American community to enjoy when coming in for a cut. She began working to benefit local youth in 1975 and became a certified licensed social worker and case manager for West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District in 1999. Boothe just celebrated 72 years of marriage to her husband, Roscoe.
Boothe says her greatest achievement was helping youth find jobs through a summer job training program. She also helped found an after-school program. Boothe, like many of the other honorees, hopes children will take more initiative to learn about the history of their ancestors, so they can better appreciate the struggles Black Americans have gone through and the accomplishments they’ve achieved over a long and troubling history of violence and discrimination.
Raelle Morgan and Langston Heatcott took to the stage next to shine a light on Mrs. Exie Carroll, “an honorable woman who contributed