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Veteran's Affairs Plus discusses the issues that veterans in Las Vegas deal with on a daily basis. Your host, David L. Washington connects listeners with relevant community resources and information that they need to help veterans or themselves.
Announcer 0:00
This is a KUNV Studios original program.
Wesley Knight 0:04
You're listening to special programming sponsored by Making Moves Life Coaching Services. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and Moore, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Pick it
Music 0:28
back, pick it south. Come on, talk to me, so you can't see what's going on. Yeah, what's going on? Tell me what's going on.
Dave Washington 0:49
Great day, Las Vegas. Great day. This is Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5 Jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host. I got a couple of great guests: Fay Duncan Daniel, who's been on this program several times, and we're going to have a newbie with us, mr. James White. So just hold on, folks, and I got a few things to say, and then I'll introduce you guys. So hold tight. Once again, we've talked about the voter education program that I plan to do. Again, right now it's only tentative dates. It will be the august 24 or 29th, and then the second one will be the october 17 or 24th, and each will be 10 a.m. to 1130 a.m. So I will have more information on that in the next show. So once again, we will get that out to everyone because certainly we all need to know what our voting rights are. With that, at this time, I want to say a couple words about what my dear friend Frank Hawkins sent me, and I'll get into that more at the next show. And it's about things that veterans should know about the upcoming election in terms of things that's going to be good for them to ensure that they're educated about. So, with that, I'm going to introduce. And I just got in town yesterday, well, a couple days ago, I should say. Considering this show will be airing on Saturday, I was down at the third annual gospel festival that is produced and directed by Faye Duncan Daniel, my dear friend of many many years, and also had an opportunity to work with James White. He has some wonderful things that he's doing down in Elaine, Arkansas. With that, Faye, give a little bit of background on yourself to our listening audience, if you would.
Faye Duncan Daniel 2:39
Well, thank you, thank you, David. Again, thank you for the opportunity, and certainly thank you for being with us. We always enjoy having you. I was actually born in this area. I was born 20 miles south of where I am right now, and in the area, in the time of my birth, was a cotton plantation. And and and there's and while there's still cotton growing there, its its yield is poor because the ground is is is full of chemicals and it's and it's and it's ripped of its nutrients. So so that is now. So, but I moved to Las Vegas as a young woman where I lived for about 50 years and had a it was and had a my family my second family the Washington Dave and his watch and his family, but but in 2006 I got homesick. I needed to feel my native land of Arkansas, so I returned to Arkansas. And as for exercise, I started walking the Mississippi River. And as I walked the Mississippi River, I was certainly just enthralled by its beauty and its history and its geography. So the idea of the river festival that you attended this weekend was to have young folks come to the river in a very safe and nurturing environment to enjoy gospel music, but to develop ideas about economic future economic opportunities. Because, like I say, the land no longer produces cotton or corn in the rate it used to. So, so the idea of the festival, its secondary objective, was to get young folks to come over there and find the safety spaces and start to see that river as an economic opportunity for the future.
Dave Washington 4:19
James, give our listening audience a little bit of background on you, and then I'll ask you guys some more specific questions to share once again with our audience of the Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5.
James White 4:31
Okay, my name is James White, and I'm kind of let's say I was born and raised here in Elaine, and I got sisters and brothers here, and and when I got out of school, I kind of I moved to Chicago, and I meet my grandmother, and we got kind of homesick because it was really really cold up there. I'm from the south, so I wasn't used to that kind of weather, and she wasn't either. So then I came back home, and I went to Texas, and it was so hot down there. I just moved back home, and I was homesick, so I came home, and this is where I've been ever since.
Dave Washington 5:05
Okay, so you say you had brothers and sisters. You were born and raised there in Elaine.
James White 5:11
Yes, I was born and raised in Elaine.
Dave Washington 5:14
So how many brothers and sisters?
James White 5:16
Three girls and four boys.
Dave Washington 5:20
Okay, now any of them still live there today?
James White 5:23
No, just me,
Dave Washington 5:25
just you. And Elaine is a very small community. What's the population? Because I thought it was a little bit bigger than what I had anticipated and mentioned. You said no the other day when we were talking.
James White 5:36
Yeah, it's it's probably about 400.
Dave Washington 5:39
Okay,
James White 5:39
and it's declining by the year. Every year, we lose a lot of a few more people.
Dave Washington 5:44
So, Faith, again, I know you didn't have the kind of success this year that we've had in the past with respect to the gospel festival. So, what is what are some of the thoughts going forward that you have to enhance and grow the festival because I still believe it's a great idea. And you mentioned in your opening comments about commerce and the importance thereof.
Faye Duncan Daniel 6:11
Well, we're I'm in communication with a group of a wonderful, dynamic, creative people, and we are expanding the the gospel festival into a tour of the South, a tour of of the cult. The South is cultural, and you and it will start at a at a casino, which is in the middle of a cotton field and on the banks of a river, which is which are two geological jurispruditions that are just extraordinary.
Dave Washington 6:38
We
Faye Duncan Daniel 6:39
start there, and then we we drive down to Clarksdale where the movie centers were made. Then we go down to a museum in Money, Mississippi, the home of of Emmett Till. And then we then the tour comes back to Elaine to visit James' wonderful museum that he that he is working so hard on that he doesn't talk about because of his modesty, but to visit his museum, and then back to the River Fest here for us, and then to spend another Saturday, wonderful Saturday night in that casino in the cotton field on the banks of the river. So we're trying to expand the the make it an expanded cultural tour.
Dave Washington 7:20
Excellent. Well, James ain't won't get it out today. So, James, expound upon what Fay said. You're talking about your humility. No, you're on a radio show, brother, and I have some questions for you. And one is, where did you come up with the idea to have a museum there in Elaine, and what do you see as its purpose?
James White 7:37
Well, Elaine, it's a small town, but it's got a really, really dave history. 1919, when the sharecroppers wanted a fair price for their cotton and what they grew, and a lot of people don't know about this because they don't teach it in school, and a lot of people just don't know about it.
Dave Washington 7:58
Right,
James White 7:58
and so many people from time to time, now they hear about it, and they even put a memorial thing in Helma, which it should be in Elaine, because it happens. All this bad stuff happened in Elaine, right? And and I want people come all the time asking about 1919, what happened, and how I know about it because my grandmother told me about it. She told me and my siblings about it because she was 15 years old when this happened, you know, and she saw all this bad stuff. So people come all the time, and I just thought it was a good idea to have a museum in Elaine. Sure, and this is not my museum; it's people museum.
Dave Washington 8:36
Exactly, for sure.
James White 8:37
I I just want to observe our history and what happened in this small town that people till this day are afraid to talk about black or white.
Dave Washington 8:47
Well, let me ask you this, James: What would preclude you from? And you know, I'm always stirring the pot. They call me and Faye both radical, militant, et cetera, et cetera. Let me ask you: What would it take? And I and and I say that nothing is impossible. You say you believe that the monument that they put forth in Helena, why couldn't it be moved? Is it something that can that could be remotely moved to to Elaine, or is that impractical? And and certainly there should be something there to include the museum that you're working on.
James White 9:23
Yeah. Well, I was on the front row when they was talking about putting this museum in Helena, and I was protesting against it. They should put it in Elaine because this what happened. But in the South, if you ever lived in the South, you know people with money do what they want to do. You know, it it don't fall back to to where it's supposed to be. They gonna put it where they want it to be. Well, hey James,
Dave Washington 9:51
James, let me be respectful by all means, but I I disagree. It's it ain't just down south money people. People work all over this community. In fact, all over the world. If they want things, they muscle their way through with money. It ain't just down there, and that's just being respectfully disagreeable. Brother, go ahead.
Faye Duncan Daniel 10:11
Right, right. I'll just add another, just another layer of that. That if James, can give me just a second now. The with the monument being all the trials of the people who were accused of killing and starting the massacre, all the folks who were accused of doing that were African Americans.
Dave Washington 10:32
Right.
Faye Duncan Daniel 10:32
So as that happened in Elaine, but all of the trials took place in Helena. So Helena, so the monument that they built could be seen as a monument to justice because the people supposedly received justice in Helma. So, but also the monument is a demarcation line for both groups.
Dave Washington 10:53
Okay, that's interesting. Well, to me, and it's just me speaking. Seemed like there could be something else in the lane, but I understand. So you're thinking pretty much that was the the rationale behind it being this monument being. And next time I get down, I certainly want to go by and see it. But that's why it was actually put in Helena, in your opinion, Faith.
Faye Duncan Daniel 11:14
Yes, because it it moralizes the law, the the the the law that the legality of of that those folks who did what they did who dare challenge the the powers that be that they were dealt their justice right here in heaven. Here's a monument
Dave Washington 11:33
to it. Okay, all right, all right, James, you have some other information you'd like to share with us in terms of what you got going on, what can be done to include any kind of further dollars toward your place, without speaking of any particular amount, but I would imagine that you have some kind of website that people could make a donation to, and and what's the the other goals of it? Because I, you know, something I noticed in there, Jane, it didn't have a lot of the ugly things that went on. It seemed like it was covering, and it's just my opinion. You can agree or disagree, or put me on the right track. But it seemed like it kind of went from the things that they did to make a living there versus all the ugly stuff that went on. Even though there was a couple photographs I I saw people who actually took on the system, if you will, to fight for justice for those folks who were accused of of starting a disturbance in their community.
James White 12:29
Well, it's it's it's. I just want to get the story out because no one want to talk about it, even the black side or the white side, and we need to bring it to the table. It's been over 100 years,
Dave Washington 12:40
right?
James White 12:40
And people still afraid to talk about this, and this not James White story. This the people story and the descender story, and I just want to have a place where people can come in because back in those days, a lot of people went up north. They just ran away and they never came back, and some of the defenders now they kind of roll back down here, and they kind of want to know the story. They want to know the story. They want to know what happened.
Dave Washington 13:06
Let me ask you this, James. And once again, this is Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5 Jazz Moore. We have Faye Duncan Daniel, who is the producer director of the Gospel Festival that occurs down in Helena, Arkansas, and then we have Brother James White, who is the president and CEO of the Elaine Museum. So, what do you know? Do you have this history, James, of what at at its height? What was the population in Elaine? Do you recall?
James White 13:36
Maybe about
Faye Duncan Daniel 13:37
I'm I'm older than James, so I think yeah.
Dave Washington 13:41
Go ahead, James.
James White 13:41
Maybe about four or 5000. Then we we we went and went to the census, and it really just didn't tell you what the population was back then. But it was a lot of people.
Dave Washington 13:51
Right, right. Okay, all right.
Faye Duncan Daniel 13:54
Each each one of those little spaces were like little municipalities, so they may have we we just may have contributed to the total population of Phillips County. I think that's part of where our numbers are. And like James, I don't think it's broken down because in those days it was just very small. It was just very small farming communities.
Dave Washington 14:11
Got it. We
Faye Duncan Daniel 14:12
mostly occupied ran by families.
Dave Washington 14:15
So Faye, back to you. What what is your goal with respect to overall potential and growth of the gospel festival,
Faye Duncan Daniel 14:25
overall, I wanted it. I wanted it to be the seeds that leads to economic development for young folks on the river. I want it to be an alternative art economy that's created around the river because because that river is such a monumental part of our or the history of this of this part of the country, and so so since it's our backyard, we have to learn how to make it an economic engine for us. So so that's the overall objective and how I can have. Memorialize my daughter long term if that if some young folks get out there and create a great industry out there that that that fuels the town's economy because this part of the the country people are leaving here the minute they get out of high school or college so we lose all of our talent and if we had a stronger economic engine, we could keep our talent here, and we could, and our and our cities would be so much more vibrant. We could compete with those northern and and and western cities. We won't be a Las Vegas or New York where we can have some of the comforts that that small larger cities enjoy.
Dave Washington 15:39
No, I think that's that's a great point because if you can get some things going that's going to draw in people, it's good for the tax base because when people come and visit, they're going to be paying all types of sales tax and and spending money on different things, any products that that that somebody creative may put together to, for example, I know you didn't have it this year. I saw one person, but I know in previous years you've had several vendors out on on the river as well, and they bring their products. and And I know the first one, and this is just for the knowledge of the listening audience, and we've talked about this several times before on the show, Faye, is that the fish was free, and I and I still believe, as as we mentioned, as we had a little brainstorming the other day, that I believe ultimately, if you have vendors and whatever the sum may be that you feel is fair for them to pay, I think you'll get greater participation. But I think your point to to growing an industry there for the purpose of commerce for the city of Helena and for Elaine, as small as it is, I think it would be wonderful just for passing on knowledge to our community who is unaware, because we know that there's a lot of talk about 1921, the Tulsa issues that occurred, and even before then was 1919. Ain't that something? And and as to your point, James, a lot of people are still totally unaware, and I was unaware until Faye told me about it. I'm like, what? And yeah, Fay saying I was born down that way. Like, oh my goodness, you know, it's something. It's something how how God works that He would put you guys together and and start moving some things to forward. That's going to be helpful to again because it's important for everybody to know different things that have occurred in in our community in our world. It's important. We should know history. Well,
Faye Duncan Daniel 17:34
I agree, but but you know I I think you know when when when you know there's a thing that most of us don't know about it, and I think, from my perspective, my parents told us they didn't tell us about it because they didn't want us to hate.
Dave Washington 17:49
Right, because
Faye Duncan Daniel 17:51
if we knew of the violence that was visited upon us as a group of people, especially small families, because most folks down there were small families one way or another, so we all lost family members,
Dave Washington 18:03
right?
Faye Duncan Daniel 18:04
And and so if we had known about that, we would have hated, and that would not have that would not have worked for anybody.
Dave Washington 18:11
You know what? I think that's a but
Faye Duncan Daniel 18:13
but now there's a safe distance.
Dave Washington 18:14
Sure, and I think that speaks to the character of your parents, Faye, whom I knew. I didn't know your dad as well as your mom, because he had he passed away not so long after I had met him. But it speaks to the character of them to to not teach their kids about hating anyone based upon race, creed, or color. I think that is an important matter, and I and Wes will attest to the fact that I talk a lot about it on this show. We have lost our humanity, and I'm talking about, generally speaking, throughout our world, we got to stop that, man. We're all fellow human beings, and we should act accordingly. Everybody has work. Everybody has work, and we need to show greater appreciation for that. But I think what you guys are embarking upon, and I'm so pleased to, and my wife Marsha say, "Oh, there you go, jumping into something else. There you go, you and Fay. Hey, James, me and Fay have always come up with things that people be said used to say years ago. They need to stay in their own lane. This is our lane. What are you talking about? Things that are going on in our community, in our world. It is everybody's. To me,
Faye Duncan Daniel 19:16
we're just taking responsibility. I mean, we we all need to take responsibility. I mean, nothing is is more passive than sitting down talking about what ain't happening in the city,
Dave Washington 19:26
and don't do nothing. Get up and make it happen. That's right. Get up and make
Faye Duncan Daniel 19:30
it happen. Yeah, that's right. Now, if you're bored, get up and make it happen.
Dave Washington 19:33
Absolutely. So, James, James,
James White 19:37
I wanted to say something else, Dave.
Dave Washington 19:39
Go ahead.
James White 19:40
Yeah, I I was just gonna kind of piggyback off what faith say our parents didn't teach us teach us hate, you know, and they just told us what would keep us safe at that time,
Dave Washington 19:52
right?
James White 19:52
You know, yeah. I want people to know the story because if you don't know your history, then people can tell you anything. You know, so you you gotta know your history, and me and Faye been knowing each other for a long time. We was we was born here, and we kind of connected. We've been friends ever since. And I got idea of a museum, and she got idea of a golfer's. We support each other. That's a good thing. So we kind of want to do some nation starting Mount Bayou come to Claude Dave, Elaine, and Helma, and back over to the casino. You know, so we gonna work together, and I really, I really want people to understand how important this is, and how important it is for you to learn the history.
Dave Washington 20:39
Absolutely. Well, once again, once again, this is
Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 jazz and more. Have Faye Duncan Daniel, executive director and leader of the producing director of the Gospel Fest that occurs, and this will be the fourth one next year when it comes up. And then James, he's working diligently on a museum there in a lane, and I think it's very important. And I attest to the fact that James, you're absolutely correct. We need to know history, and I ain't talking about just black folks, white folks, gay, straight. Everybody needs to know something about history that has occurred in our country, and it's important. And I think knowing history is going to help us to be, hopefully, better human beings, because that's what it's all about. I think we have an obligation, and to your point, Faith, we got a responsibility, and we need to be held accountable to ensuring that young folks can see. I make my grandchildren, and I made my children. We made our children read. Now, it's the young people, and I already started reading on the book that you tried to give me, Jay. Man, you're in business here, man. You can't give me these books. I'm buying them, but I've already started reading, and it's really something to to hear the stories of those guys. It was 12 of them, man, and and and I started reading while I was on the plane yesterday, and I'm gonna tell you something, man. It is good to know again of things that occurred. So once again, this is Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5 jazz and more, and I am so pleased to have these two individuals to talk to our listening audience about some history and things going forward. So, Faith, what more have you got to say about what you got going with the Gospel Festival?
Faye Duncan Daniel 22:16
Well, I, I, you know, I have a real good something. I don't know if I told you, but but you know the the face that we that we have for the concert is sort of wild and undeveloped,
Dave Washington 22:29
right?
Faye Duncan Daniel 22:30
And and and and not a whole lot. It's it's it's the only thing that's developed over there is a harbor, and and so it's it's what there is a a boardwalk out there, but but it's rarely used, which is another reason I was one that makes sure we had the the river the gospel fest on the river.
Dave Washington 22:48
Okay.
Faye Duncan Daniel 22:49
Well, I saw last night on the news the mayor has convened a panel and he's having a meeting August 4 to discuss utilizing the river. I said, oh, okay, okay, all right. I took my pat on the back and the neat and sent that to everybody. It's so exciting because we we have such a fantastic natural resource in our backyard, and we don't even know it's there, and we don't utilize it. We don't. That's un. That's unconscionable to me.
Dave Washington 23:21
Let me say this, Faye. I guarantee you now. Nobody, and I know you don't care. You're not worried about credit, but I guarantee you, somebody off our staff saw that what you're doing is so important. And why don't we tap into to making it even greater? And I think that's important. And you know, I've been taught always to plant seeds, and then they need to be cultivated. I see some cultivation getting ready to go to occur here, and I think that there is an obligation by the city administration to assist. Well, once again, as we talked about early on, this is about commerce. Everybody needs to make a few dollars to provide the types of services that the citizenry needs, and you do that by some of these tax dollars that come in into your to your deal out there in Elaine, James. You know people gonna pass through. They're not just gonna go to Elaine. They're gonna also and and vice versa to Helen, Helena as well as Clark's deal. People are gonna move around when they get into the into that region, why make one stop when there are several different locations you can go and learn some things about the people who existed there?
Faye Duncan Daniel 24:30
And then, and then, then because because of the amount of space we got, if you don't know where these landmarks are or you don't know they're there, then your trip all you can see from from always Highway Six to One nothing but open fields. So you come to the south and you think there ain't nothing to see when when you have just bypassed a treasure trove of of artifacts. So we just making the people know where the artifacts are and where the events are. Absolutely, and I think that's. Missing link.
Dave Washington 25:00
Sure, James. What you got to add to that?
James White 25:03
Yeah, that's we want to put it, and we want people to come far and near to this gospel fest next year. We plant and big Mount Bayou. Mount Bayou is a is a town. It's a nice black town. People need to know about that. Falls Dave. Then you come to Elaine. You just when you get here, it's a different feel, and I can't really tell you experience for yourself. But I guarantee, if you come, you're gonna want to go come back. And we want this gospel fest blown up next year for everybody because this for our people, just for anybody that want to come, experience history, enjoy gospel, the good food that we have. You know, down here we have some of the best food in the in the world right here in the south. Right, and people know how to cook it. You know, so we got the best food, the
Faye Duncan Daniel 25:53
most talented people, and and the and the best time. You know, everything comes out of the south. Everything comes out of the south: music, art, food, and and we got the food for you. So, and then there we're inexpensive. There are other places you can go that will cost you 10 times what it costs you to come here, and you will not have the experience. You can come here and bring your family, and for what you spend for a hotel in a major city, and you can have all kinds of unique experiences with your children and your family. Absolutely, family time.
Dave Washington 26:27
Absolutely. Look, we got about three minutes to go. I want to get some closing remarks from each of you to include any website, etc. Information that people can gain from you to make contact as we move forward, so we got about two and a half minutes now to go. Why don't we start? Why don't we start with you, Faye? Go ahead. Go ahead, Faith.
Faye Duncan Daniel 26:47
I'll go ahead and go. Okay, we we are living waters, and and I would encourage everybody. The Elaine Museum is is actually called the Richard Wright Museum, and I know Jane wants to talk about it because it's so magnificent. He has captured all the implements that people use from from from about the early 1900s up until recently. He's got old phones, old washing machines, all those kinds of things that we don't see readily. So, if you want a unique experience, you have to come down to that museum, and I'll and I'll let James finish.
Dave Washington 27:22
Go ahead, James.
James White 27:23
Yeah, but don't get. I would not take all the credit because Faye being in museum almost more than I do. So yes, I got a lot of help with the museum. People are so good from Chicago, Mississippi. When people do come, they bring old artists sometimes, and I just want people to look and experience this here, and save our history, especially to our young people. They they need to know this history. They need to know where we come from, where our ancestors come from, and we work hard to to do this here. Me and Faith, and a lot of more good people. A lot of more good people.
Dave Washington 27:59
So we
James White 28:00
got documentaries. We got pictures you can look at. So hey, when you bound by Eli, come on down.
Dave Washington 28:07
All right. Well, we appreciate it. If
Faye Duncan Daniel 28:09
you want to see what the first telephone look like, we got one of those dave ones. You have to dial. We got a washing machine. You catch your arm in the wringer. We got washboards. We got some some artifacts for you. So enjoy walking through history.
Dave Washington 28:23
Once again, we appreciate it. This is Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5 Jazz and more at Faye, Duncan, Daniel, and James White from down in Arkansas. We appreciate you guys being on the show. And the next show that I have, I will have had my third medical evaluation. So once again, on behalf of myself and Wes, this is Veterans Affairs Plus on 91.5 Jazz and Moore signing off. Until next time. All the smoke in the air, feel the hate will lay still, all the pain that we bear.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai