Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Giving Honor to Rev. Rick Wright

 Giving Honor to ‘The Wright Stuff’… A Tribute for Great Service—

Rev. Rick Wright… Publisher, Gospel Giant and Keeper of the Faith

              By Rev. Arthur L. Hunt, Jr., Senior Pastor HMC/CEO The Legacy Center in West Dumas

What a joy to write a tribute to the well-deserving, out-going publisher of the Dumas Clarion. Yes, Mr. Rick Wright is passing the torch of leadership to the new editor in chief, Linna Jones. Congrats Linna. 

I start my tribute with a question: What is the difference between a midget on a mountain and a giant in a hole?  Well from a distance it’s sometimes hard to see.  Depending on the angle, they look to be at the same height or measurement of statue. But an up-close examination reveals that the giant is the one that is standing at a lower level and only appears to be at the same height as the midget when you look at the depth of which he or she is standing.  Looking the same buy being different is a big deal. 

The word midget is not to convey any negative vibe to people who are short. It’s in this article to speak a clear message that the height of a person or the measure of achievement is not based on a physical dimension of length, but what a person stands for in their vision and their reaching the mark that pleases God.  

Rev. Rick Wright is a tall man. No, not in the physical dimension but in his faith and walk with God. He’s tall in how he respects, honors and dignifies the work that he has brought into the Dumas Clarion and the work that has come into the Dumas Clarion that he has published and guided his staff to do the excellence in rendering a weekly newspaper in Rural Arkansas.  

How Rev. Wright has humbly graced the city of Dumas and the county of Desha with his quiet, but firm moves of wisdom and skills to deliver stories and newsworthy publications week after week is no easy task. We honor in from every measure of our hearts. His column/blog ‘The Wright Stuff’ must continue.

This article comes to say to Rev. Wright on behalf of me and so many others as he leaves in his role of Publisher of the Dumas Clarion over the past several years… thank you and you are well deserving of all the love, honor and respect that has and continues to come your way. 

You led us through a pandemic with news and information that was in many cases hard to collect and bring to our community.  For this we are so grateful. Days that you felt like it and days that you did not, you got it done. Thank you!

I remember walking with my father, the late Dr. A.L. Hunt, Sr., as he and my mother would be walking together at conventions, etc., speaking to people that they knew. One day a man said to my dad, ‘hey Dr. Hunt, your wife is taller than you.’   My dad said softly, “you can be tall in more than one way.” 

While my mother was taller in height (add the heels and the hat and she was even taller), he knew that they were trying to minimize him, but was wise and confident knowing that mere physical height is not the measure of the man.  He, my mother and I got many laughs from these encounters. 

The emphasis in this tribute is that Mr. Rick Wright is one of the tallest men in Dumas/Desha/Arkansas, etc., and we are proud of what he means to our city progress and development. 

His work is his legacy. He’s role to write, publish, inspire and train many persons including myself will always take the city of Dumas further than many may ever know. 

As CEO of The Legacy Center in West Dumas, I hereby proclaim April 4th as “Rev. Rick Wright Day” and ask that all the citizens of Dumas and residents of the county of Desha join me as we see him, pray for him and put much love on him in his days of new horizons.  

Great man of God, brother and keeper of the faith, keep leading #ALLOFDUMASUNITED. 


Saturday, August 15, 2015



ALL LIFE HAS DIGNITYbut all lives are not lived dignified. From the G.O.D. view- If you are like many people of love, faith, strength and of a sound mind - you are sick and tired of “the sick and tired.”        Yes! I’m a black man and I concur that ‘black lives matter’ BUT so does all lives matter.  When I/you/me have an injured part of our body, yes- that part often needs/requires urgent attention but we know that it’s not the only part of the body. 

Take away the head when the leg is broken, the eyes when the ears are deafened and what have you? A body that needs to work together to be sure that the injured/damaged part can get the best treatment in order to bring about recovery, healing and restoration for the good of the entire body (nation).
What happens when we who say we are Christians truly believe and practice the word of God and remember that from ONE BLOOD- God created all of us to dwell of the face of His earth togetherMaybe the end(ing) of a great amount of divisiveness in our cities/communities/nation/world would occur. Maybe we will finally learn and stop being every-learning.

Are injured black lives requiring urgent care? For sure- but who are the ones inflicting the injuries, how and why? How do we bring dignity and honor back to all of God’s creations? Love is the key.  So yes, let’s get every part/member of the body/nation treated with love honor and dignity- One final note: It’s not about making one race or one nation good again, it’s about all of us- getting “back to God."  And oh yes- It starts with #wethepreachers