After MLK shooting, WR embodied peace

By Steve Brawner, © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

How should political leaders respond to the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk? 

They could follow the example set by Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller 57 years ago, when passions were also high after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For those who don’t know Rockefeller’s story, he was the grandson of oil baron John D. Rockefeller and the fifth of six children of John D. Rockefeller Jr. Of the six, he wore the last name, and all it implied about wealth and responsibility, the least comfortably. Known for being a playboy in New York, he left to work in the Texas oil fields and then served in combat in World War 2. He later got married, had a son named Win, and got divorced. 

Needing a fresh start, he moved to Arkansas in 1953 and built Winrock Farms on Petit Jean Mountain. To manage it, he hired Jimmy Hudson, an African-American private detective from Harlem. The hiring gave Conway County residents the chance to have good jobs working at a farm owned by one of the nation’s richest men. However, they had to be willing to take orders from a Black man. It was a step in the right direction. Continue reading →

One and done in War Memorial?

By Steve Brawner, © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders may not have changed the outcome of whether or not the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University ever play another football game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, or anywhere else. But she did advance the conversation.

The governor sent letters to the universities’ boards of trustees on Sunday, Sept. 7, asking them to make the game an annual event in Little Rock. 

The letter came the day after the two schools met on the football field for the first time. The Razorbacks beat the Red Wolves, 56-14.  Continue reading →

Don’t neglect the second thing

By Steve Brawner , © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Lawmakers mainly do two things. Both they and voters should not focus so much on the first that they ignore the second.

The first thing lawmakers do is enact policies. That’s what Americans tend to care about, whether it’s the economy, foreign policy, or hot-button culture-war issues such as immigration, abortion, or guns.

These issues are divisive. The passions they arise have created an us-versus-them dynamic, both in Congress and in communities.

The more those flames get fanned, the less likely elected officials will do the second thing well: protecting, preserving and strengthening the democratic process itself. 

While many issues come and go, that one’s been constant since the country’s founding. How do we govern ourselves in a way that honors the people’s will while also tempering public passions? That question will continue to be asked until the day America’s constitutional republic ceases to exist. Continue reading →

Two ceremonies, two Huckabees, and two of the Nine

By Steve Brawner, © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Two ceremonies 28 years apart honored the nine Black students who broke the color barrier at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Both featured speeches by one of the nine, and both featured a Huckabee speaking as governor.

We’ll start with the second ceremony, which occurred Aug. 29 at the Capitol. It marked the 20th anniversary of the unveiling of Testament, the monument honoring the Little Rock Nine.

The ceremony started after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders arrived with Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Nine, who walked slowly with a cane and spoke strongly from the lectern.

Eckford and her fellow students made history by being the first to attend the previously all-white school. The other eight were Minnijean Brown Trickey, Ernest Green, Dr. Melba Pattillo Beals, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Dr. Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, the late Jefferson Thomas, and the late Thelma Mothershed Wair. 

Eckford arrived alone the first day of school in 1957 and was met by a mob. Photos of the abuse she endured remain among the most iconic of the civil rights movement. Gov. Orval Faubus had called out the National Guard to block her and her fellow Black students from attending. President Dwight Eisenhower then federalized the Guard and dispatched U.S. Army troops to restore order and protect the students.

Desegregating Central High amidst so much animosity was a “tumultuous” experience, she said.

“When I talk to students, I tell them about the history, but I also tell them that there’s no such thing as not being involved,” she said. “When you decide that you’re not involved, you’re giving permission to other people to act. Continue reading →

Jones’ mission: Rebuild state’s Democratic Party

By Steve Brawner, © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Retired Col. Marcus Jones took on some challenging missions during his 29 years in the Army. Now he faces an uphill battle as a civilian: reversing the fortunes of the Democratic Party of Arkansas.

The party’s State Committee elected the Jonesboro native as its unpaid state chair Aug. 16.

Jones challenged U.S. Rep. French Hill last year to represent the 2nd District in Congress, winning 41% of the vote. He considered various options after that defeat, including running for governor this year. After the party’s previous chair, Grant Tennille, announced he was resigning, party activists began contacting Jones about running for the position. His term ends in December 2026. Continue reading →