In 1931, the depression was just setting in across the S many Americans believed that the situation wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed when hungry farmers in England, Arkansas took matters into their own hands.

When the waters receded in many parts of Arkansas at left about a foot and a half of sand.

So it was impossible for them to even plan a crop in 1928 and people knew something was really wrong as early as May of 1930 and by the time we get to August.

There were estimates that they might be able to make it to December and then there would literally be a famine arkansans knew how to do without cash, but that making do spirit.

They're running at again, something that they just can't overcome.

Will Rogers was actually considered one of the first multimedia stars.

He was kind of this folksy all shucks humorist?

Who appealed to the common man by his attacking Congress.

Wall Street, the powers that be.

He was born and raised in NE.

Oklahoma just miles from the Arkansas border.

He read the paper.

In fact, he said.

I only know what I read the paper and the papers in January of 1931 from the.

First front page of the New York Times to olive and we're talking about this food riot in England, Arkansas.

It was very hard in England to get Red Cross aid.

HC Coney, who ended up leading the farmers.

He was getting about $12.00 a month for a family of 7 in today's money that would be like trying to feed a family of 7 on about $200 a month.

He just hit a breaking point, he gathered up some other farmers and went to England in first tried to get more Red Cross aid and then the Red Cross told them that they were out of the paper application blanks that they would fill out to get aid.

It was just the breaking point in some accounts, they say they were armed and other accounts.

They say they weren't armed they demanded food from the merchants and the merchants did allow these farmers to get food to save their children.

For most of his career Will Rogers was nonpartisan, he would do comic jabs at anyone Democrat Republican but.

With what he observed in England, Arkansas or he flew to DC and talked to Hoover.

After this England.

Food riot appealing to Hoover, the government should do more.

Hoover felt it local communities, with their local Red Cross chapters, churches, neighbors, they should be the main line of response to hunger and local disasters, 12, Rogers wasn't satisfied with whoevers answer shortly after that Will Rogers flew to England.

Arkansas himself to observe what was going on from there.

He drove to Little Rock and got on national radio.

And said I'm going to do a drought relief tour 250 different shows through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas.

Actually, 18 days.

19 of those shows were in Arkansas, he would do his act and raise money and is very successful and also Will Rogers really went after government policies that wouldn't allow distribution of food there was cattle and.

Raised that were destroyed, Will Rogers couldn't understand what's all going on here.

This doesn't doesn't make sense for him to England food right?

Did give him a personal platform of children in America, starving that he could write about.

I don't think the term was used at the time, but there are some people who think it was fake news.

I don't think anybody denies there was a food riot, but where there are hundreds or just you know four families were sort of all guilty of that.

You believe what you want to believe in at some point you start gravitate Ng to the things that support your beliefs.

It makes you wonder.

Why did it become almost a footnote in Arkansas history in American history because it was?

So big at the time and causing so much discussion speaking on the floor of Congress about it and papers, all over the country were editorializing on it.

Not just republishing a wire story.

But commenting on it, and part of that was the power Will Rogers of elevating the topic.

Belief is a powerful thing a strongly held belief can change the World America changed around President Hoover and no matter how hard he believed truth from the mouth of Will Rogers was the only thing that could help the country.