02.24.21 This month the Friends of Dreamland made a little history of our own. We voted in a new mission statement!
Friends of Dreamland celebrates the community of historic West Ninth Street, shares the legacy of Dreamland Ballroom, and preserves the original intent of Taborian Hall.
What I love about this statement (and why it fits so well with this month email campaign about the African American heritage of West Ninth Street, Taborian Hall, and the Dreamland Ballroom) is those three italicized words, “celebrate, share, and preserve.” This has been, is, and will certainly continue to be the core of what we do.
“Celebrate the community.”
The black men and women that lived, worked, and played on West Ninth Street faced brutal social stigma every day, not only surviving amidst segregation and prejudice--but thriving. So much so, that the Gazette of the early 20th century (the white-owned newspaper) referred to them as the “prosperous people.” It was irrefutable, even within the white community that persecuted them. Later generations now reflect back on the truly greatest part of our humanity, perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. We should never forget this and always celebrate it.
“Share the legacy.”
There is no doubt that the most fun and fascinating facet of this history are the legends that graced the Dreamland stage and the other venues on The Line. Even the local entertainers that formed the musical reputation of Little Rock’s West Ninth Street were impressive. Little Rock was not particularly known for producing world-renown performers, but it was said that musicians of the district were diversely talented in the types of music they played. During the ‘big band’ era this local talent was essential to those “world-renown performers” and one of the reasons they came to play here. Unfortunately, it only took a generation to nearly forget this history. Personally, knowing my hometown has this kind of legacy is remarkable and kind of astonishing. Sharing the stories of the past is important. It promotes pride in our hometown and encourages us to replicate and develop the fascinating facets of our shared history. It is also vital to ensure that historic chapters, that are much less fun than music and parties, are not forgotten or repeated.
“Preserve the original intent.”
This part of the new mission statement might be my favorite. The Knights of Tabor built Taborian Hall as a central fixture of commerce, community organization, and entertainment for the black people of Arkansas. They were so effective at actualizing this mission that for the decades after they no longer occupied the structure, it continued to function this way. This intent is literally built into the building itself. Its spacious design lends itself to a multipurpose building and its solid brick walls made sure that Taborian could continue doing so for over a century.
We are on a mission…
With this major legacy to live up to, we have a lot of work ahead us if we plan to fulfil our mission as well as the Tabors did 100 years ago. Like the Tabors, we believe in using this space to better our town and aid our community, but unlike them we can unite behind something more than a similar skin color and social standing to do so. We can move forward, away from the mistrust between our predecessors, without forgetting it, to do something that will last another 100 years…with or without us.
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