Organizers to host event on proposed Fayetteville Black Historic District

A group working to develop a Black Historic District in Fayetteville will host a community event at 6pm Friday at Walker Park. Why it matters: South Fayetteville was one of the few places in NWA where Black people could live during the 1960s.

Driving the news: The NWA Black Heritage Association is dedicated to preserving and documenting Black culture in Northwest Arkansas.

• An educational session about the proposed district will be the key feature Friday evening. Attendees can ask questions and will have the opportunity to interact with the project's leaders.
• Cycling activities are planned for kids.

State of play: The proposed Spout Spring Historic District would span from Spring Street to the north, Olive and Wood Avenues to the east, 15th Street to the south and College Avenue on the west.

• The group has to collect about 350 signatures from property owners within the area for the process to go forward.
• In February, the City Council voted to allow Mayor Lioneld Jordan to sign the petition.

Yes, but: At least one south Fayetteville resident has opposed the district, saying it will complicate the process of building new homes in the area under the Arkansas Historic Districts Act .

Flashback: Fayetteville created a Black Heritage Preservation Commission in 2021 that focuses on preserving structures and creating historical markers.

• Last year, Archibald Yell Boulevard was renamed Nelson Hackett Boulevard after an enslaved man who fled Fayetteville in 1841.
• He was extradited from Canada in 1842, returned to Fayetteville and sold into slavery before escaping again. His ultimate fate is unknown.

Go deeper: Northwest Arkansas' Green Book locations that are still standing