Preserving the Voices of Blackville, Arkansas

Legacies & Lunch February 2026

Join co-editors Wally G. Vaughn and Carolyn Ann Butler Cooley in conversation with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sunday Style editor Helaine Williams for an illuminating conversation about their book Blackville, Arkansas, Fashioned by a Former Slave.

Join co-editors Wally G. Vaughn and Carolyn Ann Butler Cooley in conversation with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sunday Style editor Helaine Williams for an illuminating conversation about their book Blackville, Arkansas, Fashioned by a Former Slave, a powerful collection of first-person narratives that uncovers the extraordinary history of Blackville—an all-Black, self-sufficient farming community in northeastern Arkansas founded by formerly enslaved visionary Pickens William Black Sr. Once a thriving hub complete with a school, mercantile store, cotton gin, farming fleet, and even its own airplanes, Blackville flourished for decades under the stewardship of the Black family. This volume preserves the memories of the last generation to grow up in or around this remarkable settlement, offering a look into the daily lives, triumphs, and legacy of Blackville, Arkansas. 

We are excited to offer a lunch including a sandwich, chips, a cookie, and a drink to in-person attendees in 2026, courtesy of the CALS Foundation. Meals are limited and will be offered on a first-come first-served basis. We cannot accommodate dietary restrictions or allergies, and registration does not guarantee lunch will be available. 
 
Wally G. Vaughn, a native of Sumter, South Carolina, is a retired U.S. Air Force chaplain, concluding his service in 2011 with the rank of colonel. He is a graduate of Virginia Union University (B.A., History Education; M.Div.), Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and United Theological Seminary (D.Min.). A life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Vaughn is also the author of several notable historical works, including The Invisible Leader in Montgomery 1955–1956 and The Selma Campaign, 1963–1965. 
 
Born in Truxno, Louisiana, Carolyn Ann Butler Cooley grew up on a working farm as the youngest of nine children. She pursued her education at Louisiana Tech University, Shorter College, Arkansas Baptist College, and ultimately Philander Smith College. A longtime resident of Arkansas, she is the widow of Dr. James F. Cooley, a key figure in the civil rights movement in Forrest City during the 1960s. 
 
Helaine Williams began her career path early: She began writing in the third grade, creating popular stories about a fictitious club that starred her favorite classmates and herself. In May 1981, she became a city desk news assistant at what was then the Arkansas Democrat. She then became a consumer affairs reporter, assuming authorship of the “Action and Answers” column, and later started over again in the Democrat’s Style department as bridal editor. In 1989, she took over authorship of the long-running column “Let’s Talk” and became a features reporter for the revamped LifeStyle section. In the years since, she has written for a number of special sections of what is now the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Since 2021, Williams has served as the newspaper’s Sunday Style editor. Williams has received awards from the Arkansas Press Association; the Society of Professional Journalists, Arkansas Chapter; the National Association of Black Journalists; the National Federation of Press Women; and her alma mater, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is a 2021 Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame inductee.

Legacies & Lunch is a hybrid program offering participants the opportunity to attend either in person or virtually via Zoom. To participate in person, join us at - NEW LOCATION - Darragh Center, 5th Floor, CALS Main Library (with elevator access). Parking is available in the surface lot or the CALS Parking Deck which you can access from Rock Street. Parking will be validated. To participate virtually, register for the webinar using the button above.

This program will be live-streamed to YouTube and the recording will be available immediately following the event.

Legacies & Lunch is a free monthly program of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies about Arkansas-related topics.

Past Legacies & Lunch Events