Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1869, Josephine Pankey moved to rural Arkansas in 1892 to teach children of sharecroppers and tenant farmers. She moved to Little Rock in the early 1900s and became an author, songwriter, and philanthropist. She was a noted community developer and real estate agent during the Jim Crow era, as well as a female pioneer—negotiating property at a time before women had even obtained the right to vote in America. Josephine purchased the 80-acre “Pankey Community” just west of Little Rock in 1907. The Pankey Community grew rapidly during the 1920s in response to the Flood of 1927, the lynching of John Carter, and the expansion of the railroad through western Pulaski County. Pankey once boasted a vibrant, locally owned black business environment. Westward expansion of commercial development, and a declining population, has left Pankey’s borders at risk. More information about Josephine Pankey and the Pankey Community can be found in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.