February 27, 2009

The Consolidated White River Academy was founded in Brinkley (Monroe County) in the late 1800s when several African-American church groups decided to create an academy to offer young black students an opportunity to obtain a full high school education. After more than fifty years of operation, the academy closed in 1950 when many of the same opportunities emerged in the public schools. Sports have almost always played a role in educational institutions, and the academy was no different. Shown here is a 1930s girls’ basketball team.