African American Heritage & Culture in Northeast Arkansas
The Eddie Mae Herron Center, led by founder and alumna Ms. Pat Johnson, preserves nearly two centuries of African American history in Randolph County and actively builds community through education, heritage, and culture.
2024 National Heritage Fellow
Pat Johnson
“We are always working together with the people in our community.”
The students just called her “Miss Eddie Mae.” Eddie Mae Herron was the heart of the school for the African American children who attended between 1948 and 1965. It was in her honor that a group of people spearheaded and conducted the efforts to restore the former Colored School and give the building the name “The Eddie Mae Herron Center.”
MLK Day Celebration
Every January we honor and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please join us
Annual Hog Butchering Tradition
Through the years, communities and families butchered hogs to get through the long winter.
Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth, known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the US that honors African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated yearly on June 19th, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth.
Understanding our past. Living today. Creating our future.
This center serves as a platform to increase the infusion of African American history and culture in Randolph County, a way to develop the belief in the value of our people. We hope this center will allow this community to embrace the concept of African American contributions to American society. It is through centers such as this that racial healing, respect, and understanding will be realized.
For many, the story of the African American people in Randolph County has been hidden or distorted. While the African American experience was different, it did not mean it was a tragedy. On the contrary, African Americans were and are leaders, making numerous contributions to their development and helping to transform America. We hope that this center will be a challenge for others to learn more about African American history.
For more than a century, the one-room building that now houses the Eddie Mae Herron Center has stood at the heart of African American life in Pocahontas, Arkansas. First built in 1919 as St. Mary’s AME Church and later serving as the Pocahontas Colored School, it was once a place defined by segregation. Today, preserved and restored through community effort, it has become a space of welcome and connection—building bridges across races and generations, and continuing its legacy as a place of worship, learning, and shared community.
Contact
We’re open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment on weekends.
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Email
emhc2000@outlook.com
Phone
(870) 892-4433