THE FRONT

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

JUSTYCE YUILLE MEETS HER DESTINY.

We can thank God and Grandma Hazel for 23-year-old Justyce Yuille’s career plans. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville graduate ships out to law school this fall with a mission to secure equity, understanding and justice in her native Arkansas. One of 10 recipients of this year’s NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s MarshallMotley scholarships, Yuille earned a full law school scholarship in exchange for her commitment to devoting the first eight years of her career to practicing civil rights law in service to Black communities in the South. The granddaughter of 97-year-old Hazel Bogard Fingers, a past president of the Little Rock NAACP chapter, Yuille braids her inherited passion for civil rights with a deep faith.

You were born for this, right? Has your name shaped your career path?

What’s interesting is that my dad said he named me Justyce because God spoke to him and told him I was going to bring justice to lots of people’s lives. FAVORITE MOVIES TO RELAX TO: “X-Men: Apocalypse,” “The Greatest Showman” and “Encanto” she was president of the NAACP chapter in Little Rock and helped to integrate all-white Bishop Street. She told me a story about how the KKK surrounded her home and tried to force her out of the neighborhood. That story reminds me of the fact that justice work is really important. Despite the threats on her life she continued to do this work. So I am going to do this work because God called me to do this, and also because of Grandma Hazel.

Spirituality seems to be a huge part of your life.

I grew up in the church. When I was in Little Rock I was at Word of Outreach Christian Academy. The foundation for everything was God. We learned scriptures and Bible stories, we learned our ABCs through Bible scriptures. Every day we went to church, and when I moved to Houston I still attended Bible studies, I sang in the choir and I was a praise dancer. God has always been a part of my life.

Where will you go for law school?

I haven’t decided yet where I’m going, but I’m committed to staying in the South and serving communities in the South. And then I want to build my foundation in Arkansas. I really want to build up my community in Little Rock, to be a civil rights attorney and then hopefully a judge. So wherever I go, I’m coming back. There’s lots to be done in Arkansas.

What problems do you want to tackle specifically?

I want to address voting rights, I want to address incarceration, and I always want to address education. Those three issues, amongst others, are something I just continuously see. Not only do I want to help register people to vote, but I also want to try to tackle any laws that are discriminatory, that keep people from voting. Growing up in Little Rock, you would see a lot of racial discrimination on a daily basis. That’s the realization I came to. My neighbors, my community, they never really sought justice because they felt that they couldn’t get it. I myself have been a victim of racism. I have seen my father be a victim of racism. I plan on building a practice right where I grew up and really trying to seek justice, to fight for justice, for so many individuals who felt like that wasn’t an option for them. — Austin Bailey

Tell me about your Arkansas ties.

I’m from Little Rock. I’m the youngest girl in my family. I have two older sisters, an older brother and a younger brother. But I went to high school in Texas. So half of my life was in Little Rock, the other half was in Houston. It’s really because of God that I went to UA. God called me back to Arkansas. UA ended up being the only school I applied to for undergrad, and I got accepted.

Did you plan a career in law all along?

I always knew I wanted to go to law school. My undergraduate degrees are in criminal justice, political science and African American studies, with a minor in legal studies. All my professors played a role in where I am today, but the professor who really helped me solidify the fact that I want to be a civil rights attorney was Dr. [Alphonso] Grant, who passed away a year and a half ago. I took two classes with him, and he had us read James Baldwin and W.E.B. Du Bois. We talked about race a lot and he constantly challenged my mind. He told me, “Justyce, there’s always more to learn.” FAVORITE SCRIPTURE: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” When I get nervous or anxious, that resonates. TIP FOR SELF-PRESERVATION: To protect my mental health, I personally am learning to say “no” more.

THE LIMP BEQUETTE EDITION

PLAY ALONG AT HOME WHILE RECOVERING FROM YOUR RABIES SHOT.

1. Heifer International has sold its entire Little Rock campus and will lease two of the building’s four floors from the new owner for continued operations. Who bought the building?

A) TopGolf, the golf-themed entertainment venue, bar and restaurant. The company promises visitors to its driving range can earn prizes by hitting barges in the Arkansas River with golf balls. B) Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based convenience store chain known for its massive floor plans, will open its largest-ever roadside outpost — with a full floor devoted to a beef jerky bar and a sign with the buck-toothed beaver mascot towering over the building. The chain said it was excited to be conveniently located near the sea of concrete created by the ongoing I-30 bridge expansion. C) Holy Ghost Ministries, Jason Rapert’s “nonprofit,” is expanding its footprint. Rapert says he’ll put up a statue of Jesus that will make the Christ of the Ozarks look like one of them little pink muscle men figures you had when you were a kid. D) Lyon College. The tiny Batesville-based liberal arts school will open dental and veterinary schools on the campus.

2. The University of Arkansas announced it’s moving away from Pepsi products this summer. Who will be the university’s new exclusive nonalcoholic cold beverage sponsor and provider?

A) Cheerwine. B) Mountain Valley Spring Water for its healing powers. C) Lost Forty’s new Punchy Hard Seltzer Sno Cone Collection (only 5% ABV). D) Coca-Cola.

3. Because you can’t run for president without a book, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton has a new one coming out in November. What’s it called?

A) “I Hate Everyone: If You Do, Too, I’m Your Man” B) “My Life: A Sand Lizard in the Senate” C) “Passion in the Trenches: Brothers in Arms” D) “Only the Strong: Reversing the Left’s Plot to Sabotage American Power”

4. The first game of the Arkansas Razorback baseball team’s series vs. Vanderbilt on May 13 was disrupted when a wild animal made an appearance in the left field stands. What happened?

A) A western chicken turtle (the rarest aquatic turtle in Arkansas) was discovered in the stands eating a fan’s discarded hot dog. B) Tusk V, the Razorbacks’ official live mascot, was purposely released from his cage by an animal rights activist and charged his way through the “Big Red” section of the left field stands, injuring five. C) A bald eagle swooped into the stands and was struck by a routine foul ball, injuring the endangered bird of prey. It was revived by a freshman nursing major who later released the bird from the pitcher’s mound after the 9-6 loss in extra innings. D) A raccoon was captured in the stands by an outdoorsy Razorback fan who was able to subdue the creature by the scruff of the neck, to raucous cheers from the crowd. He was bitten by the creature after releasing him outside the stadium and has undergone one round of rabies shots.

5. Jake Bequette, the former Razorback football player and wacko Republican who challenged U.S. Sen. John Boozman in the primary (and almost certainly lost; press time was before election day), called fraud and filed a lawsuit that went nowhere after his name was incorrectly listed on the ballot in two Arkansas counties. How was his name mislisted?

A) Jock Biscuit B) Limp Bequette C) Teeny Tiny Tommy Cotton D) Jack Bequette

6. Chris Bequette, Jake’s even wackier uncle, got a celebrity endorsement for his longshot bid for lieutenant governor. Who from?

A) Bill Cosby B) Tiffany Trump C) Cooter from “Dukes of Hazzard” D) Lou Holtz

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While each program is different, they are similar in some ways

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MOD, MAGIC, MUSIC, AND MORE

Join Summer Reading Club for hands-on science with the Museum of Discovery and enjoy live performances featuring puppeteer Lela Bloom; magicians Tommy Terrific and Scott Davis; and musicians Brian & Terri Kinder, mömandpöp, and Stephin Booth. Participants also receive a ticket to a Travs game! Receive a free book bag from your local branch when you register. Sign up now at cals.beanstack.org.