LaReeca Rucker
The Huffington Post
From the archives Sept. 4, 2015
Today, one year after the turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri, race riots sparked by alleged profiling, discrimination and police militarization are still making headlines in America. But in 1919, Elaine, Arkansas, was the center of the country’s deadliest race riot.
Birdhouses hang everywhere in the dying Delta town of Elaine, Arkansas — a distraction from the blight, neglect and century-old history of a county where hundreds of black men were lynched in 1919.
On Lee Street, a diner has “Open” and “For Sale” signs in a window, but no one is there.
The Elaine Fire Department is also empty, and the Elaine Public Library is closed. There are ruins of historic buildings – shells of brick and wood with empty window frames – on the town’s main street.
Despite the decay, someone is trying to enliven the town. Birdhouses with different shapes and designs hang from some of Elaine’s most dilapidated structures bringing attention to neglect. They are evidence that someone cares about Elaine. Former teacher Pat Kienzle is trying to save it one birdhouse at a time.
