Annie Abrams on L. C. Bates, owner of the Arkansas State Press
Annie Abrams speaks on the legacy of L. C. Bates and Daisy Bates, owners of the Arkansas State Press, the largest black-owned newspaper in Arkansas throughout its existence from 1941-1959.
From Annie Abrams; longtime friend of the Bates’
Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams served the city of Little Rock for many years as an educator, and political, social, civic, and community activist. She was close friends with the Bates couple for many years, and before his passing, honored Mr. Bates with a ceremony hosted by her sorority, the Theta Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho.
Abrams was a member of the Little Rock Central High Integration 50th Anniversary Commission, commissioner for the Fair Housing Commission, and treasurer of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus. Abrams serves as an honorary co-chair of the state Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.
Along with her numerous roles in the community, Abrams is also the recipient of a number of honors and has been recognized throughout the state for her continued service and activism. She was awarded an honorary doctorate and the Community Service Award from her alma mater, Philander Smith College, she received the Brooks Hays Award for Civil Rights Champions and the Making of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Award by the national Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, given by Coretta Scott King, and in 2010, she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.
