Old Mill reopened after fire

The Old Mill in North Little Rock is back to normal after suffering a fire a few months ago. We made a trip there during spring break. The girls had a picnic lunch and played for a while. We went back last week for a quick trip.

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

My daughter visited the new Mosaic Templars Cultural Center during a school field trip last week. My son and I had visited a couple of months back while I was preparing to write a piece on African-American museums in the state.

Located at Ninth and Broadway in Little Rock, the center marks the area that was once the African-American business district. The many photographs and displays illustrate what an important area this district was years ago.

Today in history

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree, slave, in Hurley, New York on this day in 1797.

Richard Theodore Greener was the first African-American to graduate from Harvard University in 1844, on this day.

More interesting African-American historical tidbits are at Black Facts Online.

Read more about Sojourner Truth here.

Black museums of Arkansas

I'm excited to be writing about some of the wonderful museums tell the story of African-Americans in Arkansas for a newspaper piece next month.

My favorite museum of all time is the Fargo Agricultural School Museum located a few miles north of my hometown. Another fascinating one is the Uzuri Project display in Hot Springs; I wrote about this fascinating exhibit almost two years ago for a different newspaper. Intriguing and informing, these museums and many others relay a vital piece of history that is not to be missed.

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in downtown Little Rock (9th and Broadway, at the heart of the African-American business district of decades ago) is a new museum I'll be adding to my list of places to see.