Elmer Beard to address monthly NAACP meeting today
Retired educator Elmer Beard will be the guest speaker at today’s monthly meeting of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Branch No. 6013, which will be held virtually on Zoom.
The meeting will be at 2 p.m. To view the meeting, visit https://zoom.us/j/96567496065. The meeting ID is 965 6749 6065.
Beard, a native of Chidester, is a graduate of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in English degree in English in 1961. He received his Master of Science in English from Henderson State University in 1967.
Beard, a former Hot Springs city alderman, insurance salesman, and former election commissioner, is a “lifetime scholar. He is a mentor and motivator to his former students. Beard continuously works as a civic leader throughout the entire Garland County,” a news release said.
Beard is a Silver Lifetime Member of the NAACP. He has served in the capacity of president and secretary of the unit through the years. He is also an avid writer.
“He will share his stories of what prompted him to begin writing and what inspires him to continue writing. He has published works including a documentary, ‘The Challengers: Untold Stories of African Americans Who Changed the System in One Small Southern Municipality’ in 2016 and a collection of some of his poetry, ‘Let Reason Roll: Race, Religion and Reflections’ in 2020,” the release said.
“Elmer has recently received the Judges Recognition Award, which is a Governor’s Arts Award. Please join us on Saturday, to hear his awesome story,” the release said.