[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 169 (Thursday, October 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6791-S6792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



           Recognizing Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Inductees

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the Arkansas 
Black Hall of Fame Class of 2019 inductees and celebrate their 
contributions to our State, country, and literally the world.
  Founded in 1992 by Charles Stewart and Patricia Goodwin to recognize 
the gifts of African Americans with Arkansas roots, the first induction 
ceremony in 1993 honored six individuals, including acclaimed poet, 
author, and activist Maya Angelou and civil rights advocate and Little 
Rock Nine mentor Daisy Bates.
  We are probably all familiar with Arkansas' role in the movement for 
public integration. The African-American students who were threatened 
and intimidated by fellow classmates and community members as they 
tried to enter Little Rock Central High School quickly became icons of 
the civil rights movement because of their courage in the face of 
overwhelming adversity.
  These nine students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were inducted 
into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2007. They, along with other 
individuals who are members of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, 
represent diverse areas of advocacy, interest, and expertise. More than 
150 people are part of this select group because of their contributions 
to American culture and Arkansas history.
  This year, six individuals will join this distinguished group when 
they are inducted on Saturday, October 27, 2018. I want to take a 
moment to recognize the inductees and their accomplishments.
  Kevin Cole is a renowned mixed-media visual artist from Pine Bluff, 
AR. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a 
degree in art education and continued his education, earning advanced 
degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and 
Northern Illinois University.
  His artwork often reflects the history of racial violence and social 
issues. When he was 18 years old, after Cole expressed his reluctance 
to vote, his grandfather told him the story of African Americans who 
were lynched by their neckties on their way to vote. That knowledge has 
inspired his artwork. He is well known for his abstract ``necktie'' 
pieces that reflect on the painful past while also, very importantly, 
looking toward a hopeful future.
  Cole is an award-winning artist whose work has been displayed in 
galleries literally all over the world, including the Smithsonian's 
National Museum of African American History and Culture.
  Brent Jennings is a native of Little Rock. He is an accomplished 
actor and educator. In the sixth grade, he was encouraged by a teacher 
who was directing his school's annual vaudeville-style review to become 
an actor.
  He took acting classes at the Arkansas Art Center, where he was the 
first African-American actor to land the lead role in a children's 
theater production. He pursued an acting career that took him to New 
York and Boston before moving to Los Angeles.
  While a student at Emerson College, he was recognized for his acting 
and directing, earning the Carol Burnett Award and the New England 
Theater Award.
  He has acted alongside Academy Award-winning actors and those who 
have claimed the spotlight of Hollywood. You may have seen him most 
recently in AMC's ``Lodge 49.'' In addition, he shared his passion for 
acting as an adjunct faculty member at the American Academy of 
Dramatics.
  LTG Aundre Piggee is a native of Stamps, AR. He graduated from the 
University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. As a student, he served in ROTC and 
chose to pursue a career in the military. He says he mentors his 
soldiers as his UAPB instructors mentored him.
  He has proudly served in uniform for 37 years. His military career 
has taken him literally all over the world, where he has commanded 
thousands of soldiers, as well as worked to equip missions in Syria and 
Afghanistan.
  Today he serves at the Pentagon as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the 
U.S. Army, overseeing logistics. He is an individual I have really 
enjoyed getting to know and working with, and he is certainly somebody 
we can be very, very proud of.
  Darrell Walker's name is synonymous with Arkansas basketball. He 
played at the University of Arkansas--Fort Smith before transferring to 
play for the Razorbacks for three seasons. He helped the team reach the 
Sweet 16 in 1981 and 1983. He ranks 18th all-time on the Razorback's 
scoring list.

  Following a successful collegiate career, he was drafted 12th overall 
by the New York Knicks and was named to the 1984 NBA All-Rookie Team. 
He played in the NBA for 10 years, including winning a championship 
with the Chicago Bulls in 1993.
  Walker has continued his involvement in basketball as a coach for 
college teams and in the NBA. Earlier this year, he became head coach 
of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock men's basketball team.
  Mary Louise Williams is an education advocate and political activist. 
She spent 42 years as an educator, 30 of those years as an 
administrator and music teacher in the Little Rock School District. She 
has spent her life actively involved in the community as a volunteer on 
numerous boards and commissions and as an elected official, sometimes 
as the only woman or only African American.
  She was the first African-American chairperson of the Pulaski County 
Election Commission, the first African-American chairperson of the 
Pulaski County Democratic Committee, and the first African-American 
woman from Arkansas to serve on the National Association of County 
Officials Board.
  She has mentored numerous Arkansans through her civic involvement and 
earned many awards for her commitment to the community. She was 
recently recognized by the Women's Foundation of Arkansas as the 
recipient of the 2018 Brownie Ledbetter Civic Engagement Award for her 
service and her activism. At 90 years of age, she continues to be 
active in the community.
  Florence Price will be posthumously inducted into the Arkansas Black 
Hall of Fame. She grew up in Little Rock, where she learned to love 
music at a young age. Her mother taught her piano, and she became an 
accomplished musician as a youth. By the time she graduated high 
school, Price was a published composer. She pursued her passion for 
music as a student at the New England Conservatory of Music.
  In 1932, she won the Wanamaker Prize for her ``Symphony in E minor.'' 
The next year, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed that piece, 
making Price the first African-American woman to have a composition 
played by a major orchestra.

[[Page S6792]]

  In 1940, Price was inducted into the American Society of Composers, 
Authors and Publishers. She had composed more than 300 works by the 
time of her death in 1953.
  We can be very, very proud of these men and women. Their lives and 
legacies are important to the history of our country and the fight for 
equality. The honor being bestowed upon them later this month is just 
one more tribute to their significant contributions to Arkansas and 
America.
  I congratulate each and every one of them on being inducted into the 
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame and extend my sincere thanks for the impact 
they have had on the State that we all love and want to make better.
  With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.