LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The life and work of Little Rock legend Annie Abrams was celebrated on her 93rd birthday.
Abrams is a community activist and civil rights icon who has worked for decades to share the legacy of ground-breaking Arkansans.
On Wednesday, she remembered that work at her home-turned-museum and library, recounting the impact she’s made on both the Natural State and the country as guests toured the many rooms open to visitors.
Historic Central High School street to be renamed to honor Little Rock Nine
Abrams was a close friend of Daisy Bates and became involved with the desegregation of Central High School, which occurred 67 years ago on Wednesday.
She also established what would become the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and worked tirelessly to rename Little Rock streets in honor of civil rights leaders and Arkansas natives, including Daisy Bates and Charles Bussey.
She said that effort took a lot of work – and guts.
“I went on down there to city hall and I started raising hell,” Abrams remembered. “He was even scared. But do you see what that sign says? Charles Bussey! And I used strategy to make history.”