HomeMy WebLinkAbout218-22 RESOLUTION113 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, AR 72701
(479) 575-8323
Resolution: 218-22
File Number: 2022-0721
RENAME ARCHIBALD YELL BOULEVARD TO NELSON HACKETT BOULEVARD:
A RESOLUTION TO RENAME ARCHIBALD YELL BOULEVARD TO NELSON HACKETT
BOULEVARD
WHEREAS, the Black Heritage Preservation Commission has requested that the City Council
rename Archibald Yell Boulevard to Nelson Hackett Boulevard to honor Mr. Hackett who as an
enslaved person in Fayetteville in 1841 took a horse with saddle, a gold watch and beaver coat and
fled to Canada, but was apprehended there on a charge of theft; and
WHEREAS, abolitionists struggled to prevent Nelson Hackett's extradition to Fayetteville, but failed,
and Mr. Hackett was returned to slavery in 1842, publicly whipped and sold to Texas slavers; and
WHEREAS, Nelson Hackett's sad case caused the British Government to ensure such extraditions of
enslaved person would not happen again in their Canadian territories.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS:
Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby renames Archibald Yell
Boulevard to Nelson Hackett Boulevard.
Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby determines that this
resolution will not go into effect until Juneteenth, 2023, to give businesses and residences addressed on
the boulevard enough time to make the transition to the new name.
PASSED and APPROVED on 9/20/2022
Page 1 Printed on 9122122
Resolution: 218-22
File Number: 2022-0721
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Kara Paxton, City Clerk Treasurer,���•44'It'A1`�P.'.�'�
Page 2 Printed on 9122122
City of Fayetteville, Arkansas 113 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, AR 72701
(479)575-8323
Text File
File Number: 2022-0721
Agenda Date: 9/20/2022 Version: 1 Status: Passed
In Control: City Council Meetinq File Type: Resolution
Agenda Number: B.3
RENAME ARCHIBALD YELL BOULEVARD TO NELSON HACKETT BOULEVARD:
A RESOLUTION TO RENAME ARCHIBALD YELL BOULEVARD TO NELSON HACKETT
BOULEVARD
WHEREAS, the Black Heritage Preservation Commission has requested that the City Council rename
Archibald Yell Boulevard to Nelson Hackett Boulevard to honor Mr. Hackett who as an enslaved person in
Fayetteville in 1841 took a horse with saddle, a gold watch and beaver coat and fled to Canada, but was
apprehended there on a charge of theft; and
WHEREAS, abolitionists struggled to prevent Nelson Hackett's extradition to Fayetteville, but failed, and Mr.
Hackett was returned to slavery in 1842, publicly whipped and sold to Texas slavers; and
WHEREAS, Nelson Hackett's sad case caused the British Government to ensure such extraditions of
enslaved person would not happen again in their Canadian territories.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS:
Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby renames Archibald Yell
Boulevard to Nelson Hackett Boulevard.
Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby determines that this resolution will
not go into effect until Juneteenth, 2023, to give businesses and residences addressed on the boulevard enough
time to make the transition to the new name.
City of Fayetteville, Arkansas Page 1 Printed on 912212022
Legistar ID No.: 2022- 0—/a,
AGENDA REQUEST FORM
FOR: Council Meeting of August 16, 2022
FROM: Council Member D'Andre Jones
ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION TITLE AND SUBJECT:
A RESOLUTION TO RENAME ARCHIBALD YELL BOULEVARD TO NELSON
HACKETT BOULEVARD
APPROVED FOR AGENDA: f
Pr ,r}4,l,-jQCA �j 4fj"&
City Council Member
D'Andre Jones
City Attorney Kit Williams
Approved as to form
L j -'j jrE u �z
Date
Date
Williams, Kit
From: D'Andre Jones <dre91732000@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2022 11:28 AM
To: Williams, Kit
Subject: Re: FW: Nelson Hackett
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize
the sender and know the content is safe.
All good
On Tue, Aug 9, 2022 at 11:21 AM Williams, Kit <kwilliams@fayetteville-ar.gov> wrote:
D'Andre,
I need to remind you that you must approve these potential resolutions before I can place them into Legistar
and get them on the Agenda. If you would like any changes, I will make them for you. Otherwise please confirm that
you want these added to the agenda.
Thanks,
Kit
From: Williams, Kit
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2022 4:43 PM
To: 'D'Andre Jones' <dre91732000 mail.com>
Subject: RE: Nelson Hackett
D'Andre,
Since there are two actual requests, one of the historical market on the Square and the second for the
renaming of Archibald Yell Boulevard, I drafted two Resolutions for your approval. They are attached here for your
review and approval. Please let me know if any changes are needed.
Have a good weekend,
Kit
From: D'Andre Jones <dre91732000@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2022 1:11 PM
To: Paxton, Kara<icapaxton@favettevilie-ar.go_v>; Williams, Kit <kwilliams@favetteville-ar.Rov>
Cc: Bostick, Britin <bbostick fa etteville-ar. ov>
Subject: Fwd: Nelson Hackett
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize
the sender and know the content is safe.
Hello Kit and Kara I would like to add this item to the agenda for the August 16th meeting!!
Sent from my Phone
The Black Heritage Preservation Commission was established by the Fayetteville City
Council in 2021 to recognize, acknowledge, protect, and preserve historical Black
structures and cemeteries in honor of the vision, accomplishment, and perseverance of
Fayetteville's early Black families and individuals and the churches and other structures
they built. Another purpose of this Commission is the creation of Black historical
markers to recognize the struggles and achievements of our Black citizens to promote
diversity and equality for all Fayetteville residents and to oppose discrimination against
any person in Fayetteville. The Commission should research and investigate sites of
important struggles and achievements of our Black residents and their supporters to
promote diversity and equality and to oppose discrimination in Fayetteville. The
Commission may recommend to the City Council that a Black historical marker
memorializing such an important site be created and installed at such a location.
In their meeting on July 21, 2022, the Black Heritage Preservation Commission voted
to recommend two items to the City Council:
• The first item is a historic marker in honor of Nelson Hackett, an enslaved
man who was in Fayetteville around 1840. The marker language is
proposed to read: "Nelson Hackett was an enslaved man whose escape to
Canada and subsequent extradition set off an international dispute that
ensured Canada remained a safe refuge for those escaping bondage from
the United States. He labored near this spot as a personal servant to Alfred
Wallace. Hackett fled Fayetteville in July 1841, leaving with a horse,
saddle, beaver coat, and gold watch with chain. He traveled 360 miles
across Missouri and another 600 miles through the free states before
crossing into Canada in late August. Wallace tracked Hackett to the town
of Chatham, Ontario, Canada (near Detroit), and had him arrested for
stealing the horse and other goods. The Canadian colonial governor's
decision to extradite Hackett back to Arkansas made Hackett's first fugitive
from Canada return to slavery. In early summer 1842, a shackled Hackett
arrived back in Fayetteville. He was publicly whipped on several occasions,
serving as an example to other enslaved people, before being sold to Texas
slavers. He then escaped again, and his fate remains unknown. Black and
white abolitionists throughout the Atlantic world fought to prevent
Hackett's extradition from setting a precedent. They secured a
commitment from the British government, which still had many territories
under colonial rule, to make extradition of those fleeing slavery nearly
impossible." More information on Nelson Hackett is available online
at https.-/Inelsonhackettproject.uark.edu/. The Commission's
recommendation is for an 18" wide x 22" tall bronze, post -mounted
marker with the possibility of other, more cost-effective options. This
marker is recommended to be installed in the flower bed in front of the
Bank of Fayetteville on the northwest corner of the Square, , being at the
corner of S. Block Ave. and W. Center Streets. To fund the marker, the
Commission is recommending an application for the whole of the cost of
the marker for the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program, which is
administered by the Arkansas State Archives. More information is available
about the Sykes Grant at htt s: www.arkansaslierita e.com arkansas-
state-archiveslarkansas-state-archives-aboutlavailable- rants.
The second item is the renaming of Archibald Yell Boulevard to Nelson
Hackett Boulevard. The City of Fayetteville is currently undertaking street
lane restriping and crossing improvements to Archibald Yell Blvd. More
information is available online at htt s: www.fa etteville-ar. ov 3584 Archibald -
Yell -Blvd -Safety -Improvements.
Both a historic marker honoring Nelson Hackett and the renaming of Archibald Yell
Blvd. have been topics of discussion for some months. The Black Heritage
Preservation Commission received a presentation on the Nelson Hackett Project from
Dr. Michael Pierce with the University of Arkansas in their meeting on March 17, 2022,
and discussed a marker honoring Mr. Hackett in that meeting and in following
meetings. After discussion and deliberation, as well as consideration of the marker text
and different location and design options, the Commission moved forward with a
recommendation at the July meeting. Following a staff presentation of the Archibald
Yell Blvd. improvements to the City Council in May, the renaming of Archibald Yell
Blvd. was placed on the Commission's agenda for discussion, and the
recommendation was made at the July meeting.
In discussion and in approving the motions to recommend the items to the City Council,
the Commissioners noted that the renaming of Archibald Yell Blvd. has been on the
minds of many community members for a while now. This is not about canceling or
removing history but rather about acknowledging individuals that have not previously
been acknowledged. They additionally noted the importance of sharing Nelson
Hackett's story with the community, collaborating with other African American Heritage
groups, and recognizing the historical context of Black Fayetteville so that a different
type of history is being told. The Commission acknowledged this is a bold step in
recognizing African American history, however long overdue. This proposed resolution
is important because it shows Fayetteville's involvement in the slave trade, which is
important to acknowledge in our history. By recognizing this history, Fayetteville would
also be showing a commitment to inclusion. The Commissioners would like to request
the community's support for these recommendations and a resolution from the City
Council to enact these recommendations and hope to have community groups and
individuals endorse the resolution presented to the City Council.
Best Regards,
D'Andre L. Jones - MSW, MA
Fayetteville City Council
Ward 1 Position 2
"Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have
a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to
serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.
Best Regards,
D'Andre L. Jones - MSW, MA
Fayetteville City Council
Ward 1 Position 2
"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college
degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need
a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.