There’s a new marker on the Springfield-Greene County African American Heritage Trailin Springfield.
The 11th marker on the trail was dedicated Thursday in front of Kentwood Hall on E. St. Louis Street.
What is now a Missouri State University dorm was once an opulent hotel called the Kentwood Arms, and, as the marker reads, it was segregated – like many of that era. In 1960, Richard Nixon planned a campaign stop in Springfield. But Republican officials threatened to cancel the visit if two Black members of the press who were traveling with Nixon were denied lodging. And the NAACP at the time threatened to picket the hotel. City leaders decided it would be best to open the hotel to everyone, and owner Earl Moulder agreed. But two years later he decided the city wasn’t ready and reversed course. Protests followed, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ultimately outlawed racial discrimination.
Wes Pratt told the nearly 70 people gathered for the marker’s unveiling that his father, Henry Pratt Sr., worked at the Kentwood Arms after the second desegregation.
"So I share that with you, because it is more than simply a sign. It is more than simply a sign," he repeated. "It represents the history of people who lived, loved, earned and learned here in Springfield, Missouri and many of them who were no longer with us."
Pratt said that, for too long, minority groups in Springfield weren't represented in the curriculum at local schools.
"It's not about just me and my children and my grandchildren and the beautiful ones not yet born," he said. "It's about all of our children understanding that all of us have made contributions to this community, to the city, state and nation. And for so long that's been simply devalued."
NAACP Springfield Branch President Kai Sutton said the centennial year of Black History Month "calls us to remember...that black history is not simply a reflection of where we have been, but a guidepost for the work still before us. It affirms that our progress has always come through collective courage, community leadership, and the unwavering pursuit of justice."
She said the new marker at Kentwood Hall mirrors the long struggle for public accommodation in the U.S.
"This marker stands as a testament to those who challenge exclusion and demanded dignity in spaces that denied it," she said. "Its presence reminds us that the fight for equal access was not abstract. It was lived local and hard won."
She said she hopes the community will continue to work toward being a place where "equity is practiced, history is preserved and every resident is welcomed with dignity."
Lyle Foster announced two new markers that he hopes will be unveiled this year. One will recognize and tell the story of an African American neighborhood that was razed to make way for the University Plaza Hotel and other development in that area. Another will be placed at the Bartley-Decatur Community Center and will tell the story of sisters and schoolteachers Roberta Bartley and Olivia Decatur.
And he said they're seeking support for a potential interactive exhibit this summer, which will highlight the experiences of African Americans on Route 66 "so we can tell a complete story of the Route 66 experience."
They're also seeking a national designation for the African American Heritage Trail.
