Editing Elaine, Arkansas

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Elaine, Arkansas
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|image_skyline            = 
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_seal               = 
|image_map                = File:Phillips County Arkansas Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Elaine Highlighted 0520950.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Elaine in Phillips County, Arkansas.
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arkansas|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Arkansas]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Phillips County, Arkansas|Phillips]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_date         = 
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_05.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 1.32
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.51
|area_land_km2            = 1.32
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.51
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|elevation_ft             = 167
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 509
|population_metro         = 
|population_density_km2   = 384.19
|population_density_sq_mi = 994.14
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|coordinates              = {{coord|34|18|31|N|90|51|12|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 72333
|area_code                = [[Area code 870|870]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 05-20950
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2403548<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2403548}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|website                  = 
}}
'''Elaine''' is a small town in [[Phillips County, Arkansas|Phillips County]], [[Arkansas]], United States, in the [[Arkansas Delta]] region of the [[Mississippi River]]. The population was 636 at the [[United States Census 2010|2010 census]].

The city is best known as the location of the [[Elaine massacre]] of September 30 – October 1, 1919, in which an estimated 237 Black people were murdered in the rural county by rampaging white mobs.<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net" /><ref name="ArkAssembly">[http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2017/2017R/Bills/SCR6.pdf Arkansas Assembly 2017]</ref> Five whites died in the events. This was one of the worst incidents of racial and labor violence in American history. Black sharecroppers were attempting to organize a farmers' union, which the planters resisted.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/10/us/map-of-73-years-of-lynching.html "US Map of 73 years of lynching"], ''New York Times,'' February 10, 2015</ref><ref name="Grdn2019">{{cite news |last1=Krug |first1=Teresa |title=A rural town confronts its buried history of mass killings of black Americans |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/18/a-rural-town-confronts-its-buried-history-of-mass-killings-of-black-americans |access-date=August 19, 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=August 18, 2019}}</ref>

== History ==
{{See also|Elaine massacre}}
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2024}}
Phillips County was developed in the antebellum years for cotton plantations, which relied on the labor of enslaved African Americans. Their work produced the wealth of the major large planters. Cotton continued to be the major commodity crop into the 20th century in this area but, after the war, blacks often had to work as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. By the turn of the century, Arkansas and other southern states had [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchised most blacks]], excluding them from the political system, and imposed [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow]] laws.

Black sharecroppers began to try to organize a farmers' union after World War I. They were seeking better payment and accounting from white landowners of the area cotton plantations. Whites resisted any change and often tried to break up their meetings.

On September 30, 1919, two white men, including a local deputy, tried to break up a meeting of Black sharecroppers who were trying to organize a farmers' union. After a white deputy was killed in a confrontation with guards at the meeting, word spread to town and around the area.<ref name="Grdn2019"/> Hundreds of whites from Phillips and neighboring areas rushed to suppress the Black communities, and started attacking the Black community at large. [[governor of Arkansas|Governor]] [[Charles Hillman Brough]] requested federal troops to stop what was called the [[Elaine massacre]]. White mobs spread throughout the county, murdering an estimated 237 blacks before most of the violence was suppressed after October 1.<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net">[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1102 Elaine Massacre, Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture]; accessed April 3, 2008.</ref> Five whites also died in the incident. The governor accompanied the troops to the scene; their use had been approved by [[U.S. President]] [[Woodrow Wilson]]. Sharecroppers generally remained at a disadvantage in dealing with white landowners.

The county continues to rely on agriculture, but mechanization reduced the need for farm labor. Many African Americans left this area in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] of the early 20th century. In the 21st century, most farms are industrial scale. Some seasonal Hispanic migrant workers have been hired in this area since the late 20th century.

At 6:15 PM, April 26, 2011, a tornado – part of the [[2011 Super Outbreak]] – hit the Elaine area.<ref name=Memphis>[http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=MEG&product=PNS&format=CI&version=2&glossary=0 NWS Memphis Office Report]</ref> The tornado was rated [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF0]], with estimated wind speeds of {{convert|75|mph|km/h kn}}.<ref name=Memphis/> The tornado's path of destruction was {{convert|200|yd|m}} wide and the tornado traveled a path of {{convert|21.5|mi|km}} along [[U.S. Route 61|Highway 61]] and across the [[Mississippi]] state line, ending near [[Lula, Mississippi]].<ref name=Memphis/> Most of the tornado's damage was concentrated in [[Friars Point, Mississippi|Friars Point]] and [[Coahoma, Mississippi|Coahoma]], Mississippi.<ref name=Memphis/>

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|0.5|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920= 377
|1930= 511
|1940= 634
|1950= 744
|1960= 898
|1970= 1210
|1980= 991
|1990= 846
|2000= 865
|2010= 636
|2020= 509
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Elaine, Arkansas – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Elaine city, Arkansas|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US0520950|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Elaine city, Arkansas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0520950&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Elaine city, Arkansas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0520950&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 20010
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|327
|231
|style='background: #ffffe6; |136
|37.80%
|36.32%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |26.72%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|470
|385
|style='background: #ffffe6; |359
|54.34%
|60.53%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |70.53%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|0
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)(NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|16
|10
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3
|1.85%
|1.57%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.59%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|52
|9
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11
|6.01%
|1.42%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.16%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''865'''
|'''636'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''509'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

At the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]] there were 865 people in 330 households, including 222 families, in the city.  The population density was {{convert|1,725.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 356 housing units at an average density of {{convert|710.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2000 census|racial makeup]] of the city was 58.15% Black or African American, 39.08% White, 0.92% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races.  6.01% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Agriculture includes rice production, which uses seasonal migrant laborers from [[Mexico]] and [[Latin America]] in the town, nearby [[Lake View, Arkansas|Lake View]], and the [[Helena-West Helena, Arkansas|Helena]] area.<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
Of the 330 households 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.2% were married couples living together, 30.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 31.2% of households were one person and 18.5% were one person aged 65 or older.  The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.31.

The age distribution was 31.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% 65 or older.  The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.5 males.

The median household income was $19,479 and the median family income  was $22,813. Males had a median income of $22,386 versus $18,056 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,640.  About 33.5% of families and 41.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 59.1% of those under age 18 and 26.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The [[Marvell–Elaine School District]] serves the community. Marvell Primary School and Marvell High School in [[Marvell, Arkansas|Marvell]] serve Elaine.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20110703190126/http://170.211.217.197/wordpress/?page_id=36 Schools]." Marvell-Elaine School District. Retrieved on March 2, 2011.</ref>

Previously the [[Elaine School District]] served the community. On July 1, 2006, the Elaine district merged into the Marvell district.<ref>"{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100924075952/http://arkansased.org/about/excel/consolidaton_annexation_070110.xls Consolidation/Annexations of LEA's (1983–2010)]}}." [[Arkansas Department of Education]]. Retrieved on March 2, 2011.</ref> When the district existed, it operated Lucilia Wood Elementary School and Elaine High School.<ref>"[http://local.arkansas.gov/school_info.php?school_id=866 Lucilia Wood Elementary School]." Information Network of Arkansas (State of Arkansas). Retrieved on March 2, 2011. "100 College St. Elaine, AR 72333"</ref><ref>"[http://local.arkansas.gov/school_info.php?school_id=209 Elaine high School]." Information Network of Arkansas (State of Arkansas). Retrieved on March 2, 2011. "100 College St. Elaine, AR 72333"</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Levon Helm]], musician
* [[John Hughey]], country musician
* [[Jimmy McCracklin]], blues musician, was born in Elaine
* [[Barry Williamson]], Texas politician, was reared in Elaine.
* [[Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright]], author, resided in Elaine

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Phillips County, Arkansas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Phillips County, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Arkansas]]