Arkansas Black Hall of Fame to include Harlem Globetrotter

story by Kerry Kraus, travel writer with the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism

Some outstanding Arkansans are feted Oct. 16 as the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame holds its 18th annual induction ceremony. Honorees this year are Annie M. Abrams, Shaffer Chimere Smith, (a.k.a. “Ne-Yo”), The Honorable Timothy C. Evans, Brigadier General William Johnson, Reshonda Tate Billingsley, and Reese “Goose” Tatum. The 7:30 p.m. gala takes place at the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock.

Annie M. Abrams is a dedicated community leader instrumental in the establishment of the state holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the naming of a Little Rock street for him. She also actively pursued and succeeded in having streets named for Civil Rights activist Daisy Gaston Bates and Mayor Charles Bussey. Her other causes include fighting for justice in education, housing, health, judicial courts, women rights, and prison reform.

The “Original Clown Prince of the Harlem Globetrotters,” Reese “Goose” Tatum is from Calion. He began what would become a successful basketball career as a ninth-grader at El Dorado’s Washington High School. He played for the Globetrotters from 1941 to 1954 before forming his own team, the Harlem Road Kings. He managed the Road Kings until his death in 1967. The Globetrotters retired Tatum’s #50 and the entire Globetrotters team is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Shaffer Chimere Smith, (a.k.a. “Ne-Yo”) is a Camden native raised in Las Vegas. He is a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, songwriter and actor with Def Jam Records. His first album, “In My Own Words,” was released in 2006 and debuted at number one on Billboard’s 200, selling more than 300,000 copies the first week.

The Honorable Timothy C. Evans currently serves as Chief Justice of the Circuit Court of Cook County in Illinois. In this capacity, he oversees more than 400 circuit jurists, is responsible for an annual budget of $210 million, and more than 2,300 employees. Evans is the first African American Chief Justice in Cook County.

Brigadier General William Johnson is the Deputy Adjutant General for the Arkansas National Guard. In this position, he serves as full-time chief advisor and main assistant to Adjutant General William D. Wofford. In this role, Johnson also provides leadership to over 10,000 Army soldiers and airmen.

Reshonda Tate Billingsley of Smackover and El Dorado is a national bestselling author. Her debut novel, “My Brother’s Keeper” secured a contract with Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books. Her 20 publications include eight adult novels, seven novels for teens, one non-fiction, three anthologies and one book of poetry. Some of her upcoming projects are “Drama Queens,” ”A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “Saints and Sinners” collaboration with Victoria Christopher Murray, and “Say Amen, Again.”