Little Rock, Arkansas – The life and legacy of civil rights leader Daisy Gatson Bates will take center stage in Little Rock next week as the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site presents a documentary-style performance exploring one of Arkansas’ most important figures in the fight for civil rights.
The program, titled “Something in the Soil,” is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, at First Missionary Baptist Church. The performance will begin at 6 p.m. at the church, located at 701 S. Gain Street in Little Rock.
The presentation will follow Bates through different periods of her life, beginning with her childhood and continuing through the years when she became a journalist, publisher, organizer and civil rights leader.
Much of the story will focus on Bates’ work and leadership during the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, an event that became a major moment in the history of the American civil rights movement.
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Rather than presenting Bates’ story only as a traditional historical account, the documentary-style performance will bring audiences into several important settings connected to her life. Among them are the newsroom of the Arkansas State Press, the Bates family home on West 28th Street and the entrance to Little Rock Central High School.
Those locations represent different parts of Bates’ public and personal life, while also showing how her work as a journalist and organizer became closely tied to the larger struggle for equal rights.
Actress Phyliss Yvonne Stickney of Little Rock will portray Bates in the one-woman performance. Stickney brings a career that extends beyond traditional theater, with work centered on storytelling, authenticity, Black cultural expression and performances that connect entertainment with history and social themes.
Her background also includes work as a poet, motivational speaker, playwright, producer and comedian. She has received recognition for her originality and stage presence, according to the event information.
The performance will take place at First Missionary Baptist Church, a location that itself carries a significant connection to Little Rock’s civil rights history. The church hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a visit to the city in 1963.
That history adds another layer to the event, bringing the story of Bates into a setting that was itself part of the city’s civil rights movement.
Bates’ role in the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School remains one of the most closely remembered parts of her legacy. As a journalist and publisher, she used the Arkansas State Press to document and advocate around issues affecting Black residents and the broader struggle for equality.
The documentary will explore those efforts while also looking at Bates as a person, moving through different stages of her life rather than focusing on only one chapter.
The timing of the event also connects the program to the country’s ongoing commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary. Organizers say the presentation offers an opportunity to reflect on the ideas of freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through the documented life and work of Bates.
Her story is deeply connected to Little Rock itself, where the struggle over school desegregation drew national attention and placed the city at the center of a defining period in American history.
By presenting Bates’ experiences through a live performance, the program aims to give audiences a more personal view of the woman behind the historic events.
“Something in the Soil” will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, at First Missionary Baptist Church, offering Little Rock residents and visitors an opportunity to revisit the life of a woman whose journalism, leadership and activism helped shape the city’s place in civil rights history.
