05/15/2026
Deacon Earl Wilson Jr.🕊️
I met Mr. Earl last fall while shooting an event his daughter and my dear friend, Dr. Faye, hosted to celebrate his outstanding work of keeping his family farm running strong. 137 years of being a black-owned farm in Arkansas! An absolutely incredible legacy built on hard work and perseverance.
This year, we celebrated Mr. Earl’s 96th birthday. Family, food, and some harmonica playing from the legend himself! I cannot express how grateful I am that I was able to capture him playing his harmonica. You could see him light up when he saw what it was, almost like it took him back to a different time.
Mr. Earl went to be with Jesus on April 23rd. He’s now playing his Heavenly harmonica.
Thank you, Dr. Faye and family for letting me be a part of your family events. Every time I’m around, you’re feeding me and treating me like I’ve been there my whole life. Next year’s celebration will look a lot different, I know, but I believe Mr. Earl would want his family to keep celebrating the incredible story and journey of the Wilson-Thompson farm.
“Though he is no longer present in body, his story continues through the lives he touched and the family he leaves behind. His legacy lives on in the land he would not sell, the work he would not abandon, and the generations who now carry his name forward.”❤️
