Annual MLK Events Build Bridges
Community leaders and engaged citizens of the Fort Smith community gathered at Elm
Grove Community Center Monday, January 16, to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. during the 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 鈥 Fort Smith鈥檚 annual breakfast
and panel discussion.
Extolling the importance of fostering community-based solutions to societal problems,
panelists focused their discussion around the theme 鈥淐rossing the bridge over troubled
waters.鈥
The panelists - Carl Geffken, Fort Smith City Administrator; Keith Gibson, member
of the Arkansas State Highway Commission; Dr. Ann-Gee Lee, 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 Professor of English
and Rhetoric, Advisor to the 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 Cultural Network, Read This Program Advisor, and
Literacy Council Board Member; Karla Palma, a community organizer with Arkansas United
Community Coalition; and Jay Richardson, State Representative-District 49 鈥 spoke
to hundreds of guests. Nya Stewart, a 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 student-athlete and media communication
major, moderated the panel.
Discussion centered around ways leaders can engage the community to solve problems
and the importance of speaking and listening with an open mind.
Launching into the troubled waters theme, Geffken joined Fort Smith Mayor George McGill
in commending the way the Fort Smith community and the Fort Smith Police Department
responded to the killing of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that followed.
The need for community-oriented policing has been clear, Geffken said, echoing McGill鈥檚
sentiment that Fort Smith鈥檚 commitment to its people is ahead of the curve.
鈥淚t shows a level of respect and a belief that our system can work as long as it works
for everyone,鈥 Geffken said.
Richardson said that most people are familiar with the overarching issues facing society.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 catch you by surprise,鈥 he said, but the personal issues that impact the
day-to-day lives of citizens require careful listening. 鈥淲hen we moved back to Fort
Smith 鈥, we walked the neighborhoods, talked with friends, and found our way into
where we are today. And our greatest opportunity will come as we collaborate with
others for what benefits our city.鈥
Richardson, a Democrat, gestured to colleagues around the room from the opposite political
party, commending them on their dedication to doing what is best for Fort Smith, political
affiliations aside.
Palma, too, said intentional advocacy and careful listening could impact solutions
that cross the political divide. A DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) student
herself, Palma learned to adapt her message to create unity toward the goal of passing
Arkansas Act 746, formerly HB 1735, which allowed the state鈥檚 nearly 5,000 DACA recipients
and other immigrants with work permits to obtain any professional or occupational
license in Arkansas.
鈥淲e knew we could shift the discussion from immigration to the workforce,鈥 she said.
鈥淕etting involved and seeing that you can change laws has been the highlight of my
adult life. 鈥 And now my sister can have a teacher who looks like her.鈥
Richardson, who supported the legislation, described the momentum that builds when
impactful legislation passes. 鈥淲e are working relentlessly for our community. We are
entrenched in our community, and we will continue to work and support as we always
have.鈥
Dr. Williams Yamkam, associate professor of political science and chair of the 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播
Democracy Project, closed the panel by encouraging all of the attendees to go forward
into the community to engage, educate, and empower others in the name of building
and crossing bridges over troubled waters.
Following the panel discussion, Talicia Richardson, bullhorn in hand, called community
members to march in King鈥檚 memory. Unlike a parade, she said, the symbolic march engages
everyone as equal participants rather than performers and spectators. The crowd assembled
as the Northside and Southside High School bands performed a stunning rendition of
鈥淲e Shall Overcome.鈥
With arms linked and hand-in-hand, members of the Fort Smith community marched around
Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Fort Smith, creating a compelling visual commitment
to unity to close the day.
The full slate of 2023 MLK Week events includes:
香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 Campus Events:
January 16-21, 2023, at the 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 Campus Center
Collection boxes from the River Valley Regional Food Bank will be set up to collect peanut butter, reflecting Dr. King鈥檚 1964 quote, 鈥淚 have the audacity to believe people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education, and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.鈥
(A collection bin will also be placed at the Elm Grove Community Center on Jan. 16.)
January 16-21, 2023, at the 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播 Boreham Library
A display of books and media centering on the Civil Rights Movement
Thursday, January 19, 2023 Time: 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. at Gardner 201
A Public Lecture on the Civil Rights Movement by Dr. Matt McCoy
Friday, January 20, 2023 - 1-1:50 p.m. at Vines 235
A Public Presentation on Collaboration to Foster Cultural Tolerance by Dr. Ann-Gee Lee
Celebrations in the Fort Smith Community:
Sunday, January 15, 2023, 5 p.m. at James Missionary Baptist Church,
4916 High Street, Fort Smith, AR 72904
A Concert of Prayer
Monday, January 16, 2023, 7:30 a.m. at Elm Grove Community Center, MLK Park
MLK Day Breakfast and Panel Discussion: Crossing the Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Fostering Community-Based Solutions
Monday, January 16, 2023, 9:30 a.m. at Elm Grove Community Center, MLK Park
Symbolic March Around MLK Park
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Media Relations
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