VCK Democratic Women, NAACP will host Elaine educational event

The Virginia Clinton Kelley Democratic Women and the Hot Springs branch of the NAACP will present “Massacre and Dispossession in the Delta: From Jim Crow to the Present” on Sunday at the Central Cabaret and Nightclub, 1008 Central Ave.

Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Admission is $15. Snacks and beverages will also be available for purchase. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance by visiting: http://www.naacphs6013.org

“We Have Just Begun,” a documentary about the 1919 massacre in Elaine in Phillips County, will be presented, and filmmaker Michael Warren Wilson, an Arkansas native, will talk about how he decided to undertake the telling of the massacre, according to a news release.

Jennifer Hadlock, an attorney, researcher, and community organizer from New York, will present the findings of her research in Elaine and Phillips County.

“She spent a year researching land deed records to which Elaine descendants have historically been denied access,” the release said.

“Ms. Hadlock’s research connects the dots between the Elaine massacre and extensive land theft that robbed Black owners of their farms, homes, and businesses and placed the resource that was their lifeblood into the hands of white owners,” it said.

“Today, much of that land is in the possession of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, a retirement management fund and global landowner whose farming and land management practices have created significant ecological and health concerns in Phillips County and elsewhere,” the release said.

The audience will also hear from Elaine residents about their experiences and hope for restorative justice through TIAA Exposed, an organization seeking accountability and reparations from TIAA for “practices that conflict with their published corporate values of equity and environmental responsibility,” it said.