Briarwood
~ Arts and Crafts
Recognizing creative Briarwood residents
Briarwood Author Published Again in
the Arkansas Historical Quarterly
Blake Wintory, 718 South Mississippi Avenue, has just had his second article, "African-American Legislators in the Arkansas General Assembly, 1868-1893," published in the Winter issue of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly. Including tables, the article is some fifty pages long. Wintory, born in Ft. Smith, and wife, Debra, moved from Fayetteville to Little Rock in 2004, and have been residents of Briarwood since July, 2005.
Besides his writing, Wintory has a Ph.D. and holds the position of Director of Research and Interpretation for the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, a museum of the Arkansas Department of Heritage. In addition, he has been active in the Briarwood Area Neighborhood Association, serving as association secretary during the 2005-2006 year, as 2006 Christmas Decorations Co-Chair with his wife and is now a member of the BANA Board of Directors.
When asked about the article, Wintory said it took five months to write and he then had to work on it for another two weeks after it was edited and returned for revision.
The article, "African-American Legislators in the Arkansas General Assembly, 1868-1893," is basically a compilation of the names, party affiliation and other information about blacks who served in the Arkansas General Assembly after the Civil War, from 1868 until the legislature passed disfranchisment laws in 1891. Most black legislators hailed from plantation areas of eastern Arkansas and had been slaves before the conflict. When they gained their freedom, they went into politics, usually as Republicans. But, after they were disfranchised, blacks disappeared from the Arkansas political scene and information concerning them was gradually lost. Wintory's article accounts for 84 black legislators and is hailed as the most complete reconstruction to date.
Arkansas Historical Quarterly
Copies of the Winter 2006 issue of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly are now on sale at bookstores in Little Rock at $5.50 or available from the Arkansas Historical Association, Dept. of History, Old Main 416, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701 for $5.50 postpaid.