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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Regular Session, 2025 HR 1042 3
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By: Representative Springer 5
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HOUSE RESOLUTION 8
TO HONOR ANNIE MABLE MCDANIEL ABRAMS FOR HER SERVICE 9
TO HER COMMUNITY AND THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. 10
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Subtitle 13
TO HONOR ANNIE MABLE MCDANIEL ABRAMS FOR 14
HER SERVICE TO HER COMMUNITY AND THE 15
STATE OF ARKANSAS. 16
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams is a retired educator and a 18
political, social, civic, and community activist in Little Rock; and 19
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams was born on September 25, 1931, in 21
Arkadelphia, Arkansas, the eldest of four (4) siblings, and she was raised 22
with help from her grandfather after her father died when she was eighteen 23
(18) months old; and 24
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams attended the segregated Peake 26
School in Arkadelphia until age thirteen (13), whereupon her mother sent her 27
to Little Rock to pursue a better education; and 28
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams graduated from Dunbar High School 30
in 1950 and enrolled in Dunbar Junior College to major in teacher education, 31
graduating with full licensure in 1952 and a scholarship offer to the 32
prestigious Brandeis University in Massachusetts; and 33
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WHEREAS, because her financial circumstances prevented her from 35
attending Brandeis University, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams began teaching at 36 HR1042
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the segregated three -room elementary school in Marianna, Arkansas, before 1
accepting a position in 1956 with the Arkansas Teachers Association, which 2
supported educational equality for Black teachers and students in Arkansas; 3
and 4
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams married Orville Abrams at this 6
time, and they eventually had four (4) children; and 7
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams later enrolled at Philander Smith 9
College, graduating with a bachelor of arts in special education; and 10
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams actively engaged with community 12
issues upon her return to Little Rock in 1956, assisting with the 13
desegregation of Little Rock Central High School and closely associating with 14
Daisy Gatson Bates in that effort, joining Democratic women to advocate for 15
the gubernatorial election campaign of Republican hopeful Winthrop 16
Rockefeller, and in 1978 traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, as a delegate of 17
the Young Women's Christian Association representing North America at a 18
United Nations conference; and 19
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams was instrumental in campaigns to 21
rename Little Rock streets in honor of Daisy Gatson Bates and Mayor Charles 22
Bussey, and, most notably, she led the campaign that resulted in the 1992 23
renaming of High Street in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in the 24
institution of Little Rock's first parade in honor of Dr. King; and 25
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams was a member of the Little Rock 27
Central High School Integration 50th Anniversary Commission, was commissioner 28
for the Fair Housing Commission, and served as treasurer of the Arkansas 29
Democratic Black Caucus, and she currently serves as honorary co -chair of the 30
Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr., Commission; and 31
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams has been the recipient of numerous 33
honors and has been recognized throughout the State of Arkansas for her 34
continued community service and activism; and 35
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams was awarded an honorary doctorate 1
and the Community Service Award from her alma mater, Philander Smith College 2
and has received the Brooks Hays Award for Civil Rights Champions and the 3
Making of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Award by the national Martin 4
Luther King, Jr., Commission given by Coretta Scott King; and 5
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams was a 2010 inductee into the 7
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, and, in 2020, Ouachita Baptist University 8
established the Annie Abrams Living Legacy Award, a scholarship for African 9
American students; and 10
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WHEREAS, Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams continues to reside in her family 12
home in Little Rock and remains active politically and in her community, and 13
her endorsement is highly sought after in local politics; and 14
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WHEREAS, in 2021, the City of Little Rock declared the ninetieth 16
birthday of Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams to be "Annie Day", and on February 1, 17
2022, the television program "Good Morning America" featured Abrams as part 18
of its Black History Month programming, 19
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NOW THEREFORE, 21
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL 22
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23
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THAT the House of Representatives honor Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams for 25
her service to her community and the State of Arkansas. 26
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, a copy of this resolution be 28
presented to Annie Mable McDaniel Abrams by the Chief Clerk of the House of 29
Representatives. 30
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