The Bass Reeves Legacy Initiative has selected Harold T. Holden to create
a monument honoring US Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves. The Bass Reeves monument will
be placed in Ross Pendergraft Park near the foot of the Garrison Avenue Bridge. For
more information on giving opportunities or the history of Bass Reeves, visit
the campaign website at: http://www.deputybassreeves.com/
Legendary U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves — portrayed by Baridi Nkokheli of Fort Smith — visited Saturday (April 3, 2010) with legendary and Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman about the plans to build a Bass Reeves statue in Fort Smith.
ABOVE: Area history buffs flocked to the Fort Smith Public Library's Main Branch Sept. 18, 2009 to hear about legendary Fort Smith-based Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, from Reeves researcher and re-enactor Baridi Nkokheli. Nkokheli, whose real job is director of the Fort Smith Department of Sanitation, closely resembles Reeves, especially when wearing replica western frontier-era clothing Reeves would have worn on duty, while he talks to local civic groups and schools about the famous deputy.
As the 100th anniversary of Reeves' death in January 2010 approaches and the ongoing fund raising drive for a Reeves Legacy Monument to be erected in downtown Fort Smith continues, Nkokheli is receiving more and more invitations to portray and speak about Reeves. "I’ve learned to keep my Bass Reeves uniform behind the door of my office so I can make a quick change when I have to be somewhere in a hurry to talk about Bass -- sometimes I feel like Clark Kent," Nkokheli joked during his FSPL appearance.
Photos & content courtesy of Entertainment Fort Smith magazine (www.efortsmith.com)
The campaigns mission is to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. by leading a collaborative funding, design, and construction process
in the creation of a memorial to honor his national and international contributions
to world peace.
NOTE: This video is intended for educational and entertainment
purposes only, and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Juneteenth
of Fort Smith or the JPCI.
Coach to Cure MD
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness
To Cure MD is a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), a professional organization for over 10,000 college football coaches and staff, and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest national charity devoted exclusively to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
On one day, September 26, 2009, college football coaches across the country will wear a Coach to Cure MD patch during games. This patch will hopefully serve as the trigger for coaches to (1) mention the Coach To Cure MD program and before, during and after the game to talk about Duchenne and our cause with local and national media to help reach out to a broader audience and educate them on Duchenne, (2) to encourage viewers to donate money for Duchenne research.
Because of its obvious potential to change the lives of those living with Duchenne, parents and families from across the country are joining together to help raise the funds and the national awareness necessary to make Coach to Cure MD an even bigger success this year.
NOTE: This video is intended for educational and entertainment
purposes only, and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Juneteenth
of Fort Smith or the JPCI.
Darfur Peace & Development Association
Help Restore Peace to the Sudan
Darfur Peace and Development Organization is non-profit and non-sectarian.
It seeks to restore reconciliation where conflict exists in the Darfur region
of Sudan through advocacy and humanitarian aid to the needy people in Darfur
region, without regard to race, religion, sex or national origin.
NOTE: Links to Third-Party web sites are provided
for user convenience. The JPCI is not responsible for the content of a third-party
web site. By clicking on a third party link, you will leave the JPCI web site.
Privacy and security policies may differ from those practiced by the JPCI. the
JPCI does not represent the third party.
Free the Jena 6
The Fight for Justice in Jena, Louisiana
Last fall, when two Black high school students sat under the "white" tree
on their campus, white students responded by hanging nooses from the tree. Racial
tension continued to mount in Jena, and the District Attorney did nothing in
response to several egregious cases of violence and threats against black students.
But when a white
student--who had been a vocal supporter of the students who hung the nooses--taunted
a black student, allegedly called several black students "nigger",
and was beaten up by black students, six black students were charged with second-degree
attempted murder.
Last month, the first young man to be tried, Mychal Bell, was
convicted. He faces up to 22 years in prison for a school fight.
NOTE: Links to Third-Party web sites are provided
for user convenience. The JPCI is not responsible
for the content of a third-party web site. By clicking on a third party link,
you will leave the JPCI web site. Privacy and security policies may differ
from those practiced by the JPCI. the JPCI does
not represent the third party.
The Gratitude Campaign
Showing appreciation to our military
Have you ever wanted to say "thank you", but didn't? Next time,
say it.
Visit the Gratitude Campaign website: www.gratitudecampaign.org
NOTE: This video is intended for educational and entertainment
purposes only, and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Juneteenth
of Fort Smith or the JPCI.
