Harrison tells Ghana group: Don't come

City cites Ebola fears; Jacksonville sees no threat, opens door to its delegation

A delegation from Ghana won't visit Harrison this month as planned. Because of concern about the Ebola virus, Harrison leaders have asked the Ghanaians to postpone their trip.

Harrison has been working through Sister Cities International to establish a sister city in Ghana. A delegation of 10 people from the North Dayi region of Ghana was to arrive in Harrison on Saturday and leave Thursday. They planned to canoe on the Buffalo National River, visit businesses and dine in the homes of residents.

But that won't happen now, said Harrison Mayor Jeff Crockett, after some of the city's partners in the project backed out because of fear of the deadly virus.

"It's hysteria in my book," said Crockett. "It's hysteria that's built up, and it's not based on fact. And I have trouble going along with that kind of thing."

Crockett said he hopes the delegation can visit next year instead.

"I'm just hoping that this wasn't too big a slap in the face," he said. "I just pray that it doesn't get blown out of proportion, and they realize what the concerns were and forgive us for not following through."

The mayor said partners who backed out include North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, North Arkansas College and Harrison School District.

It was a difficult decision for those involved, said Patty Methvin, president of the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"Unfortunately, with the Ebola outbreak and the concerns that have come down from the CDC and the Arkansas Department of Health, we didn't feel like the timing was going to allow us to have the best trip possible for them," said Methvin. "Because when they do come, we want to be able to roll out the red carpet."

West Africa is having its largest Ebola outbreak in history, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The virus is affecting four countries: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, according to the CDC website, cdc.gov.

Ghana is near those four countries, noted Methvin. She said people in Harrison were excited about the impending trip of the Ghanaians, but as news reports indicated that the Ebola virus was spreading, diplomatic enthusiasm in the Ozarks waned.

"My head understands that we made the right decision," said Methvin. "My heart hurts that we had to postpone it."

Representatives from the hospital, college and school district didn't return telephone messages left for them Friday.

Jacksonville visit on track

Meanwhile, a delegation from Ghana arrived in Jacksonville on Friday with plans to stay until Tuesday before going to North Little Rock for three days.

Jacksonville is considering Kpando in Ghana as a sister city. Kpando's mayor is part of the delegation visiting Jacksonville, along with the king of the Kpando Municipality and "queen mother" of Kpando.

Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher said he did his own research and saw nothing wrong with the Ghana delegation visiting his city this month.

"The government sees no threat," said Fletcher. "People are being screened. I have no concern about it. I felt better after I did my research. I walked away a whole lot more confident that this is going to be a good visit. ... As far as a health threat, there is no health threat. I can't live in fear of what's not there."

Sherman Banks of Little Rock, president emeritus of Sister Cities International, said it was unfortunate that Harrison decided to postpone its delegation's visit.

"They made the decision for them not to come, and I can understand their concern," said Banks. "But there is no Ebola in Ghana. ... I gave them my opinion. There is no danger. ... It's unfortunate, but that's the decision they made."

Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers in programs in 140 countries on six continents, according to its website, sister-cities.org. The organization works to advance peace and prosperity through cultural, educational, humanitarian and economic development exchanges.

On Wednesday, the Arkansas Department of Health sent out a news release stating that, while Ebola poses "a very low risk to Arkansans," the department was keeping a close watch on the situation in West Africa.

"[The department] is working with hospitals, emergency medical service providers, faith-based organizations, the State Chamber of Commerce and the departments of Education and Higher Education to ensure they have appropriate protocols in place to screen and monitor individuals who may have traveled to Arkansas from the affected West African countries," the release stated.

Layne Ragsdale, a member of Harrison's Task Force on Race Relations, said there were concerns that, if people were afraid of the virus, they might not be as welcoming to the Ghanaians. She said that wouldn't "showcase the community as well as we could."

"We have asked them to postpone coming to Harrison until a time when the Ebola virus is not prevalent as it is in that area," said Ragsdale. Methvin is also a member of the task force.

When the partners backed out of the deal, their funding went, too, said Crockett. Delegates pay for their airfare, but everything in the host country is provided for free, usually through businesses that donate goods and services, he said.

Crockett guesses that the Ghanaian delegation probably had already gotten visas and purchased airline tickets to travel to Harrison. A round-trip flight from Harrison to Ghana costs about $1,700, he said.

Harrison image

In April, after the Harrison Daily Times published a story about the sister cities plan, some complained about the initiative.

On Stormfront.org, a white-rights website, Billy Roper of Harrison wrote April 18 that the sister cities project was being undertaken by "anti-white activists." He wrote that Harrison should have a sister city in Europe instead of Africa.

In an emailed response to questions, Roper said an election should be held if Harrison is to have a sister city.

"I am curious about what criteria they used to select a village in Ghana, West Africa, as the sister city of Harrison," wrote Roper. "To many in the community, it smacks of a political stunt intended to force diversity and multi-racialism on them, and to antagonize those citizens who like Harrison the way it is, and who might not wish to see the town become more like West Africa. ... Let's be democratic about the process, and have an election, to let the people decide."

Harrison has tried in recent years to improve its reputation regarding race. Riots in 1905 and 1909 forced all but one black resident out of the city. Now, about 34 of the city's residents are black. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Harrison had a population of 12,943.

Harrison's image issue was exacerbated in the 1980s when Thom Robb, leader of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, moved to rural Boone County and began using a Harrison post office box for the group's mailing address.

The task force was formed in 2003 to work toward improving the city's reputation. But other factions seem to delight in antagonizing the task force.

On Oct. 15, a billboard went up along the U.S. 62/65 bypass in Harrison reading: "Anti-Racist is a Code Word for Anti-White."

The task force quickly responded with a "Love Your Neighbor" campaign and billboards of its own, which included a quote from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Then, in March, a billboard with an image of a white family was placed under the "Anti-Racist" billboard reading, "Welcome to Harrison. Beautiful town. Beautiful people. No wrong exits. No bad neighborhoods."

Whoever paid for those two billboards along the bypass remains anonymous.

On April 1, Arkansas' Martin Luther King Jr. Commission sponsored a symbolic funeral procession through downtown Harrison. Participants buried a coffin facedown next to a headstone that read, in part: "Here lies the stigma of racism that has burdened Harrison's past."

Then a vigil was held for King in front of the Harrison City Hall. It was the first time that the commission has held the annual vigil outside of Little Rock.

SundayMonday on 08/24/2014

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