The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 18 is the day of service that celebrates Dr. King’s life and legacy. As the nation’s first graduate school to offer a Master of Public Service, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service is proud to honor the legacy of the civil rights leader.
There are many organizations, programs, and dialogues in Arkansas honoring Dr. King’s legacy this week.
The Central Arkansas Library System is hosting a virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service event today from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The schedule includes a welcome and keynote from Mayor Frank Scott, a discussion of “March: Book One” from Nate Powell, and a Public Service Panel featuring Arkansas Senator Joyce Elliott, Dr. Jay Barth, and Kwami and Clarice Abdul-Bey from the Arkansas Peace and Justice Memorial Movement.
The Arkansas Peace and Justice Memorial Movement is hosting a week-long observance of the National Day of Racial Healing. The full schedule can be found online.
The Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission hosted a King Holiday Day of Impact Virtual Celebration on Friday, January 15 that can be viewed here.
Clinton School News
The Clinton School’s Center on Community Philanthropy will announce the recipients of the 2021 Advancing Equity Award at its fourth ceremony commemorating the National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday, January 19 at noon on Facebook Live and YouTube.
The Advancing Equity Award is presented to organizations using innovative solutions to address racial inequalities in their communities and advance progress toward inclusion. The award recipients will receive support to continue and enhance their efforts.
Coming to the Table Gatherings: Free Online Virtual Dialogues
The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service will partner with the Arkansas Peace and Justice Memorial Movement to host a virtual Coming to the Table dialogue on Thursday, January 21 at 6 p.m. CTTT gatherings are free, online dialogues to specifically address interpersonal, community, and structural racial violence and trauma.
The National Day of Racial Healing is Tuesday, January 19
Clinton School Dean James L. “Skip” Rutherford III has signed a proclamation noting the school’s commitment to observing January 19, 2021 as a National Day of Racial Healing.
The National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) is an opportunity for people, organizations and communities across the United States to call for racial healing, bring people together in their common humanity and take collective action to create a more just and equitable world. NDORH is a part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) effort – a national and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism.
Past Clinton School Speaker Series Events
Letter from Birmingham Jail: A Worldwide Celebration | 2013
On the 50th anniversary of the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. began writing his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” the Clinton School and Clinton Foundation join participants around the world for a public reading of King’s letter in celebration. Those reading the letter include elementary school and middle school students, local celebrities, Clinton Foundation staff and Clinton School students. This event was sponsored in conjunction the Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library.
Young and African American in 2015
The Clinton School of Public Service and the Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy hosted a panel discussion, “Young and African-American in 2015″ in January 2015 to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This discussion followed the deaths of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla.; Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.; Eric Garner in New York City; and New York City police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.
D’Army Bailey – The Education of a Black Radical | 2010
D’Army Bailey discussed his book, “The Education of a Black Radical: A Southern Civil Rights Activist’s Journey, 1959-1964.” The president of his freshman class at Southern University, Bailey details his experiences on the front lines of the Black student movement in 1960, giving a firsthand account of the early days of America’s civil rights struggle. A former Circuit Court judge in Memphis, Tenn., Bailey founded the National Civil Rights Museum in 1991 at the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
John Walker – From Civil Rights to Civil Wrongs | 2010
Little Rock civil rights attorney John Walker discussed “From Civil Wrongs to Civil Rights” to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2010.
Walker opened one of the first racially integrated law firms in Little Rock in 1968, handling numerous and significant civil rights issues including the continuation of the Little Rock School Desegregation case. He was a member of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors and the recipient of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association Warhorse Award.
United States Civil Rights Trail | 2018
Launched during the 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, the trail is part of an interactive website focusing on specific locations that explain and honor the Civil Rights Movement, including the childhood home of Dr. King and the church where his message of nonviolence worked as a catalyst for change and racial equality. Little Rock Central High School is also featured on the trail.
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