Blues ghosts in the Black Mecca: Appropriation and erasure in Helena, Arkansas

Abstract

ABSTRACT Helena, Arkansas, was incorporated in 1833. The Mississippi River Delta city isn’t a likely candidate for most people’s lists enumerating Black Meccas. Yet, Helena was a concentration point for Contrabands and African American enlistment in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war and during Reconstruction, Helena developed a thriving African American community with Black-owned businesses and an African American college. Blacks were drawn to Helena during the mid-20th century for employment in manufacturing and agricultural processing. They also came to Helena for opportunities as music entrepreneurs: Helena was a blues city for most of the 20th century. This paper explores Helena’s rises and falls as a Southern Black Mecca. The Elaine Massacre of 1919, the Great Migration, and late 20th century deindustrialization were serial hits on Helena’s Black communities. Municipal efforts to jumpstart the city’s economy focused on African American heritage have had mixed results and significant implications for Helena’s African American residents.