Concerts Honor History, Celebrate Legacy

On Sept. 25, 1957, nine teenagers were protected by the National Guard and members of the U.S. Amy from a belligerent mob as they climbed the steps to Central High School in Little Rock to end the school's segregation and become the first Black students to attend. It's an historic moment in the tumultuous history of and fight for racial progress that endures as a symbol of heroism in the face of resistance to social change.

This weekend, the cities of Fayetteville and Tulsa will host a jazz performance that honors the sacrifices and ongoing work of those who strive to build a more just and equal society. "No Tears Suite" was written in 2017 by Little Rock jazz pianist Christopher Parker and Memphis, Tenn., native and vocalist Kelley Hurt to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the landmark event.

Oxford American commissioned and presented the tribute four years ago. This weekend, a new collaboration between the nonprofit arts organization, the University of Arkansas Center for Multicultural & Diversity Education, Fayetteville Roots, The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, and Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tulsa culminates in two free performances of "No Tears Suite."

"Having the university involved is imperative; same with the library as the host location," says Bryan Hembree, co-founder of Fayetteville Roots and director of Arts & Culture for the UA Center for Multicultural & Diversity Education. "And then Oxford American, they kind of tell the story of the South, which is kind of their mission and that fits. Roots, obviously, presents music that people may not have heard of, [and] high quality roots music and jazz fits into that mold, for certain."

These Arkansas institutions alongside the educational initiatives and social justice messaging promoted by The Woody Guthrie Center, and Vernon A.M.E. Church remaining as the only standing Black-owned structure from the Historic Black Wall Street era in Tulsa, all converge this weekend over a piece of artwork that, itself, melds history and music.

"In my opinion, art and music tends to sometimes open up the conversation for these tough aspects of our history that sometimes we don't talk about," Tulsa native Hembree posits.

"By encapsulating this in this piece of art, in this piece of music, it makes it accessible, and it makes it so that more people can tune in. ... We need this musical expression as a document to bring people together to continue to have a conversation about what happened in Little Rock, why it happened, but also where we're headed, and how we're moving forward. Progress."