News

Honor & Sacrifice tells the complex story of a Japanese immigrant family ripped apart by WWII. The Matsumoto family included five sons; two who fought for the Americans and three who fought for the Japanese. The eldest, Hiroshi (Roy), became a hero, fighting against the Japanese with Merrill’s Marauders, an American guerrilla unit in Burma. He was born near Los Angeles, educated in Japan, and became a hero when he used his Japanese language skills and military training to save his surrounded, starving battalion deep in the Burmese jungle. At the same time his parents and sisters were living in their family’s ancestral home, Hiroshima. The story is told by Roy’s daughter Karen as she discovers her father’s work in military intelligence, kept secret for 50 years.

April 21st, 2014, Roy Matsumoto died, surrounded by his family. The date marked 70 years after the breaking of the siege at Nphum Ga, where Roy’s actions were instrumental in saving his surrounded battalion. He will be remembered for his sacrifice and his courage for his country and his family. He will be missed by all who had the great honor of knowing him. We hope Honor & Sacrifice acts as a lasting tribute to him and other Japanese Americans who bravely faced the challenges of WWII.

Visit the Honor & Sacrifice website here.

In the Poinsett County Democrat Tribune article, “Local Artist Displays Work at Museum,” the June exhibition of artist, Sharon Hatley’s, paintings at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum is discussed. Sharon Hatley’s paintings will be on display during the month of June during regular business hours. To view this article, please click here.

Photo by MARCIA SCHNEDLER / Special to the Democrat-Gazette
The Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza tells the story of a racially integrated union that made its mark during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In the Arkansas Online story, “Are We There Yet?: Museum Tells Unique Tale of Tenant Farmers Union,” the mission of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum to tell the story of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union is discussed. To view this article, please click here.

The blog, Arkansas Ties, has posted an entry titled, “Southern Tenant Farmers Museum,” about visiting the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum along with several nice photos of the Museum. To view this blog entry, please click here.

In the Poinsett County Democrat Tribune article, “Southern Tenant Farmers Museum Named a ‘Must Do’,” the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism’s naming of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum to its list of 12 “Must-Do’s” in the Arkansas Delta is discussed. To view this article, please click here.

In The Evening Times article, “A Hidden Treasure in Tyronza,” Executive Director of The Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, Linda Hinton, is interviewed about the history of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, and the creation of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum. To view the article, please click here.

In the Arkansas Times article, “Sharecroppers on the March: The STFU Comes Alive in Tyronza,” the history of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, and the exhibits on display at the Southern Tenants Farmers Union are discussed. To view this article, please click here.

In the Poinsett County Democrat Tribune article, “STF Museum Opens with Ribbon Cutting Celebration,” the opening of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum is discussed. Key speakers at the opening celebration included Arkansas State University President Les Wyatt, Congressman Marion Berry, State Representative Wayne Nichols, State Lands Commissioner Mark Wilcox and Ruth Hawkins of the A-State Heritage Studies Program. To view the article, please click here.

In the Poinsett County Democrat Tribune article, “ Tyronza Museum Celebrates Grand Opening Oct. 6,” plans for the opening of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum are discussed. The celebration will include a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting among other activities such as panel discussions and a luncheon. To view this article, please click here.

Arkansas State University will celebrate the Grand Opening of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza with a full day of activities on Friday, Oct. 6. Events will take place on the museum grounds (Main Street at Chicago and Frisco streets) in Tyronza.

The museum is located in the historic building that housed the dry cleaning business of H. L. Mitchell and the service station of Clay East, two organizers of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in 1934. The building, which served as unofficial headquarters for the union, has been renovated utilizing grants from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC) and a “We the People” Challenge Grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The highlight of the day, a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting, will take place at 2:15 p.m. Participants will include ASU President Les Wyatt, Tyronza Mayor Marian Bearden, Arkansas Land Commissioner Mark Wilcox, and other platform dignitaries.

Grand Opening events will begin at 10 a.m. with an overview of tenant farming and the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU) titled “Raggedy, Raggedy Are We,” a reference to one of the songs written in the 1930s by STFU member John Handcox. Presenters are Dr. Orville Vernon Burton, University Distinguished Teacher/Scholar at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and Dr. Mark Allan Jackson, Visiting Assistant Professor of English at DePauw University.

A panel discussion, “Heirs of the Movement,” will begin at 11 a.m. and features children of 1930s STFU leaders. Participants are Sam Mitchell of Calgary, Canada, son of H. L. Mitchell; Jack East of Battle Creek, Mich., son of Clay East; and Shirley Whitfield Farmer of Vinita Park, Mo., daughter of Missouri Bootheel demonstration organizer Owen Whitfield.

After a Sharecroppers’ Luncheon, a 1 p.m. panel titled “Roll the Union On” (another John Handcox song reference) will discuss the legacy of the STFU and its impact on later labor and civil rights movements. Panelists include Dr. Nan Elizabeth Woodruff, professor of modern U. S. history at The Pennsylvania State University; Dr. Jeannie Whayne, professor and chair of the Department of History at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, and Dr. C. Calvin Smith, emeritus professor of history at Arkansas State University.

The 2:15 p.m. dedication ceremony will be followed by a reception and tours of the museum from 3 to 4:30 p.m. An open house and free public tours also will be offered on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Exhibits at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum include historic photographs, artifacts related to tenant farming, oral history excerpts, 1930s newsreel footage, and interactive exhibits featuring STFU songs, poems, and interviews with former union leaders. The exhibits were developed in conjunction with the ASU Museum and the ASU Heritage Studies Ph.D. program.

The museum will be open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment on Saturdays. Special programs can be arranged for school groups. After the grand opening weekend, admission is a $5 donation, or $3 for senior citizens and groups of 10 or more.

The original Arkansas State University news release can be found here.