The Black History Commission of Arkansas awarded funds from the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant program to an Arkansas County community history project.

A grant in the amount of $3,036 was awarded to the Keaton Township Project for the development and publication of a book dedicated to the the history of farming families in the Keaton Township community of Arkansas County. The project seeks to preserve, record and pass along the rich history of its area, comprised of the small farming communities of Almyra, Casscoe, Immanuel and Lookout, located in Arkansas' Grand Prairie.

The project has previously published a book on the history of midwives in the township and hopes to share the rich heritage of area farming families in the same way. At its peak population, some 200 families made the township their home; they included descendants of both emancipated enslaved laborers and of their previous owners.

The BHCA is housed under the Arkansas State Archives and meets quarterly. The Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program has a mission to support African American historic and historical preservation and public programming projects in Arkansas. Grants are awarded year-round and past projects include historical research, exhibits, workshops, publications, oral history interviews, documentary films, and cemetery preservation and documentation.