| FOR PLANNING PURPOSES Contact: Natalie Schulte Natalie.Schulte@mail.house.gov November 4, 2019 |
| ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** Rep. Hill to Speak at Induction Ceremony for Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail |
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| WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at 10:00 AM CT Congressman French Hill (AR-02) will speak at the induction ceremony for the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail honoring the 12 African American men who were convicted of murder in 1919 during the Elaine Massacre and later exonerated. Congressman Hill will be joined by family members of the Elaine 12 and community leaders, including Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. and the Chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Dr. Christina Drale. This event is open to the press. TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2019 WHO: Congressman French Hill, Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., Chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Dr. Christina Drale, descendants of the Elaine 12, and representatives of the Elaine community WHAT: Speaking at the Civil Rights Heritage Trail Induction Ceremony to Honor Elaine 12 WHEN: Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at 10:00 AM CT WHERE: University of Arkansas at Little Rock Downtown Center (333 President Clinton Ave Little Rock, AR 72201) Background: This year, each of the Elaine 12 (pictured below) will be inducted into the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail, receiving individual markers. These young men were sharecroppers who were unjustly convicted of murder and wrongly sentenced to death by an all-white jury following the Elaine Massacre of 1919. The convictions of six of the Elaine 12 were overturned in 1923 in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case Moore v. Dempsey. Sadly, most of the members of the Elaine 12 fled Arkansas after being released from prison and changed their names out of fear for their safety, leaving family members to wonder about their ultimate fate. The Elaine Massacre is one of the darkest and most tragic chapters in Arkansas's history, as the deadliest racial confrontation in state history and possibly the bloodiest racial conflict in the history of the United States. New markers will be added to the Civil Rights Heritage Trail to recognize civil rights activists who have fought for racial equality and justice.
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### To learn more about Congressman French Hill, please visit: Hill.House.Gov |
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