Author: hzbinden

In April 2022, the 1950 federal census was released. It was particularly exciting for many GenXers like me – the children of Baby Boomers. For the first time, I’d be able to find both of my parents in a U.S. Census.

I started by searching for my dad. And there he was, just where I thought he would be –

All those letters in the attic… Or basement. Or shed. Or barn. Or under the bed.

You get the idea.

Family papers and photographs. We all have them. And for most of us, we have them stored as an unorganized mess somewhere out of the way. Many of these materials have stories of their own—how they survived from the early and mid-twentieth century to still exist in the early twenty-first century.

One of the questions we get almost every month during our Finding Family Facts class is: What do I do about adoption in my family tree?

On the surface, this question has a simple answer: Include the adopted family member in the family tree just as you would a biological relative.

But it can be more complicated than that.

Have you ever looked around downtown Little Rock and wondered about its architectural history? Perhaps you’ve seen some of the vacant spaces and thought to yourself, “I wonder what used to be there?” Well, now some of those questions can be answered. The CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies has created a mapping project that utilizes Google Earth to reveal the architectural history of downtown Little Rock.

On Saturday, July 24, the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies hosted a virtual workshop on genetic genealogy. The program was presented by Shannon Christmas, an experienced genealogist specializing in genetic, colonial American, and African American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas. He serves as a 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador,

Objectives: To understand empathy and respond in appropriate ways by reading The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles; To recognize courage in others and ourselves; To form connections with others and practice empathy/courage in our daily lives.

Creator: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Grades: K-4 Elementary School

Time period: World War II Through the Civil Rights Era 1941-1967

View and download the lesson plan.

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that declared separate education facilities [were] inherently unequal and violated the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the laws”for all citizens. It was a reversal of the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which established the doctrine of separate but equal.”

Creator: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Grades: 9-12 High School

Geographic: Ouachita Mountains

Location: Pulaski County

Time period: World War II Through the Civil Rights Era 1941-1967

View and download the lesson plan.

Objectives: To comprehend the desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School in 1957; To identify the Arkansas State Legislature, its role in the crisis at Little Rock Central High School, and the attributes of effective leadership; To comprehend the way legal appeals through the federal court systems, combined with grassroots organizations (church communities, neighborhoods) and individual activism,

This lesson plan will introduce students to the Arkansas flag and its history, and will explore the concept of state symbols.

Creator: Arkansas State Archives

Grades: 5-8 Middle School

Time period: Early 20th Century 1901-1940 (gr 7-8)

View and download the lesson plan.

Using this lesson plan, students will examine oral histories with former slaves (“the slave narratives”) collected by the Federal Writers’ Project in the 1930s, to gain an understanding of what life was like for African Americans in slavery and following emancipation in the 19th century. Lesson activities include a group analysis of two FWP narratives using a 5W graphic organizer,