Biography of arkansas african american achievers playbook

The contribution African-Americans from Arkansas make to the world continue to add up: revered authors, little-known heroes and schoolchildren who broke through racial barriers and multiplied the opportunities for those who would follow.

As we celebrate stories for Black History Month, we explore the lives of three more Arkansans whose achievements in arts, athletics and aviation are even more remarkable given the historical context of their time.

Ketty Lester

Known around the nightclub circuits as a singer whose performances made “nightspot patrons sit up and take notice,” Ketty Lester is most known for her song, “Letters.” Also an actress, she played roles on “Days of our Lives” and “Little House on the Prairie.” Born in Hope, Arkansas as Revoyda Frierson, this Hempstead County sensation rose to the top through a lot of hard work and working connections.

In the early days Lester practiced and honed her singing ski