ATMOSPHERE MONDAY TEMPERATURES CERTAINLY GOING TO BE COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT IT
>> RIGHT NOW 17 IN ARKANSAS IS
A STATE BUILT ON FARMING. IN
FACT, AGRICULTURE IS STILL OUR
LARGEST INDUSTRY BUT IT DIDN'T
ALWAYS COME EASY. NEARLY ONE
HUNDRED YEARS AGO ARKANSANS
PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FIGHT FOR
WORKERS RIGHTS AND THIS WEEK
KING IS TAKING US TO A MUSEUM
TUCKED AWAY IN A LITTLE CORNER
HALFWAY BETWEEN MEMPHIS AND
JONESBORO WHERE TO DISCOVER
ARKANSAS YOU MUST FIRST
DISCOVER ITS PAST.
>> WHY IS THIS SMALL BUILDING
IN THIS SMALL TOWN SO
IMPORTANT? WELL, IN 1934 A
LOVING WHITE MAN AND SEVEN
BLACK MEN WALKED INTO A SCHOOL
NEAR RUNS ARKANSAS TO FORM THE
SOUTHERN TENANTS UNION TO
IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS FOR THE
TENANT FARMERS. COME ON IN FROM
HI. WOULD YOU LIKE TO OPEN AN
ACCOUNT TODAY?
>> THE SOUTHERN TENANT FARMERS
MUSEUM IT WAS OPENED IN 2006
FROM MITCHELL, A BUILDING
THAT'S THE HOME OF THE SOUTHERN
FARMERS UNION THAT WAS
ESTABLISHED IN JULY OF 1934.
ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
DEVELOPED THIS SITE INTO A
MUSEUM FOCUSING ON TENANT
FARMING AND THE LEGACY OF THIS
SOUTHERN TENANT FARMERS UNION.
TENANT FARMERS WERE FAMILIES
AND PEOPLE WHO WOULD COME AND
FARM THE LAND AND I WOULD PAY
PART OF THE PROFITS TO THE
LANDOWNERS AND SO HAPPENED IS
THAT THESE TENANT FARMERS
WEREN'T ACTUALLY SEEING THEIR
MONEY AND SO THEY FORMED THE
UNION AT ONE TIME THEY EVEN
WENT ON STRIKE
>>. OH
>> MY LONG WORK WORKER CARMELO
HEALTHCARE YOU TO BREAK ALL THE
VOICE THAT WE'VE BEEN LISTENING
TO IS JOHN HANCOCK. HE WAS A
FARMER HERE IN THE TORONTO AREA
AND HE REALLY BELIEVED THAT
MUSIC HAD THE POWER TO UNITE
PEOPLE. MY MOM IS FROM MEMPHIS.
WE ALWAYS WENT THESE BACK ROADS
TO GET THERE. I ALWAYS THOUGHT
IT WAS SO COOL TO SEE THE
COTTON AND SO WE PULLED OVER ON
THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHE
LET ME GET A LITTLE BIT TOUCH
IT AND FEEL IT. AND I MEAN I
WAS PROBABLY FIVE YEARS OLD AND
NEVER FORGOTTEN THAT THIS IS
ACTUALLY A REPLICA OF WHAT A
SHARECROPPER'S HOME WOULD HAVE
BEEN LIKE IN THIS AREA. THIS IS
>> NOT THE ROAD TO WORK THAT
THE REST OF THIS IS ORIGINAL
FROM 1960
>> AND SOME BEHIND THE SCENES
SECRET STUFF LIKE THAT GOOGLE
WHAT IF THE DOOR SHUT AND
LOCKED? WHAT WOULD YOU DO
>> BUT FIND OUT YOU
>> THINK YOU CAN STILL GET
SUITS MADE TO ORDER FOR 20 TO
50? THEY HAD TO PUT IN A LOT
OF WORK TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE.
SO IT'S BACK TO THE WAY THAT IT
LOOKED IN THE 30S
>>. ALL WORK HAS GONE ALONG SO
COME AND DISCOVERED THIS MUSEUM
AND GO DISCOVER ARKANSAS
>>, GET IN. ASHLEIGH, THIS WAS
CLOSE TO THAT JOHNNY CASH
MUSEUM YOU VISITED LAST WEEK TO
WRITE
>>. THAT'S
>> RIGHT. YEAH. WHILE WE WERE
IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS WE
DECIDED TO STOP IN TO TORONTO
SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY KIND
OF MAKE IT A COMBO PACKAGE.
THEY ACTUALLY SELL THOSE ON THE
MUSEUM WEBSITE SO YOU CAN GO
AND DISCOVER JOHNNY CASH'S
BOYHOOD HOME AND THEN JUST
RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD YOU CAN GO
TO TORONTO AND CHECK OUT THE
TENANT FARMERS MUSEUM. BUT JUST
A LOT OF HISTORY IN THAT PART.
THE STATE SOMETIMES ACTUALLY
FEEL LIKE IT GETS FORGOTTEN. I
MEAN I WENT TO COLLEGE UP THERE
AND SPENT MANY YEARS IN THE
JONESBORO AREA BUT THERE'S SO
MUCH THERE TO REALLY
>> SEE. THERE WERE SOME
BEAUTIFUL THINGS TO LOOK BACK
ON LOOKING AT SOME OF THE
STUFF. IT'S PAINFUL AS IT DID
IT DID HURT WHEN YOU GO THROUGH
SO MUCH STUFF TO SEE WHAT THE
PEOPLE WENT THROUGH JUST
BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR
SKIN
>>. IT
>> WAS REALLY INTERESTING. THE
BEST PART ABOUT THE ROB WE'RE
SEEING THAT SO MANY FROM
DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS CAME
TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THOSE
CONDITIONS. YOU KNOW, AS I SAID
AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THAT
STORY WE JUST SAW THAT IT WAS A
GROUP OF WHITE MEN AND A GROUP
OF BLACK MEN THAT WALKED IN AND
SAID WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT THIS. THEY CAME TOGETHER
TO ACTUALLY IMPROVE THOSE
CONDITIONS. WELL WELL IT WAS
REALLY COOL TO SEE YOUR
EXPERIENCE THERE, ASHLEIGH. AND
I LOVE WHAT YOU SAID. MAKE IT A
TWO FOR