*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239
“Rise: How A House Built A Family,” Cara Brookins
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– After escaping an abusive marriage, Cara Brookins of Central Arkansas had four children to provide for and no one to turn to but herself. In desperate need of a home, but without the means to buy one, she decided to build one. Equipped only with YouTube instructional videos and a small bank loan, Brookins built her own house from the foundation up with a work crew made up of her four children. With no experience nailing together anything bigger than a bookshelf, she and her kids poured concrete, framed the walls and laid bricks for their two story, five bedroom house. Rise is a memoir that traces one family’s rise from battered victims to stronger, better versions of themselves. Join Cara and her family as they discuss their inspirational do-it-yourself project.
Robin Ferriby
Friday, March 3, 2017 at 12:00 noon (Sturgis Hall)
– Robin Ferriby is a Scholar in Residence with the Center on Community Philanthropy at the Clinton School of Public Service. He is vice president of Philanthropic Services for the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and a vice president of the Foundation for Detroit’s Future, an organization that administers and oversees the “Grand Bargain” that resulted in Detroit’s exit from bankruptcy. Ferriby graduated from the University of Detroit School of Law and holds an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University. Today, his philanthropic leadership at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan includes responsibility over new gifts, donor stewardship, professional advisor relationships, new market and product development, philanthropic planning for individuals, families and businesses, and foundation relationships.
“Indentured: The Inside Story of the Rebellion Against the NCAA,” Joe Nocera
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 12:00 noon (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– In the four years since Joe Nocera wrote a controversial New York Times column on the subject of student-athletes, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has come under fire. Fans have begun to realize that the athletes involved in the two biggest college sports, men’s basketball and football, are little more than indentured servants. For about 5 percent of top-division players, college ends with a golden ticket to the NFL or the NBA. But what about the overwhelming majority who never turn pro? They don’t earn a dime from the estimated $13 billion generated annually by college sports. Indentured tells the story of a loose-knit group of rebels who decided to fight the hypocrisy of the NCAA.
“20th Anniversary of ARKids First”
Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 12:00 noon (Sturgis Hall)
– In 1997, nearly one in four Arkansas children was uninsured. Twenty years later, we’ve reversed that trend in large parts to landmark legislation that created ARKids First. Join us for a discussion about the impact of this game-changing public health program for children. Learn more about the history of the program and hear from local and national child health experts, including the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
“The Dust of Kandahar: A Diplomat Among Warriors in Afghanistan,” Jonathan Addleton
Friday, March 10, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– The Dust of Kandahar provides a personal account of one diplomat’s year of service in America’s longest war. Ambassador Jonathan Addleton movingly describes the everyday human drama of the American soldiers, local tribal dignitaries, government officials, and religious leaders he interacted and worked with in southern Afghanistan. Addleton was born and raised in Pakistan. A five-time USAID mission director, he has also served as U.S. ambassador to Mongolia; USAID representative to the European Union; and U.S. Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) to southern Afghanistan.
“Latino Leadership and the Cinco de Mayo in the American West”
Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– While millions of people across the USA celebrate the Cinco de Mayo, very few know that this was begun by Latinos in California, Nevada, and Oregon as part of the Latino experience of the American Civil War in the Far West. This presentation will explain why the Cinco de Mayo is so widely celebrated in the US, and why it is not so celebrated in Mexico. David E. Hayes-Bautista is currently distinguished professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley, and completed his doctoral work in Basic Sciences at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco. He served on the faculty at the School of Public Health at U.C. Berkeley until 1987, when he took his current position at UCLA. His research on the Latino Epidemiological Paradox led him to analyze linkages between culture, behavior, and health outcomes. This program is in partnership with UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs, UAMS Translational Research Institute, UAMS College of Pharmacy, Arkansas Center for Health Disparities League, League of United Latin American Citizens, and UALR Joel E. Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity.
“Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race,” Margot Lee Shetterly
Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. (Great Hall) *Book signing to follow
– Hidden Figures is the true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA at the leading edge of the feminist and civil rights movement, whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space. Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets and astronauts into space. Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South’s segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America’s aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right skills. Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades they faced challenges, forged alliances and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country’s future. The book is a #1 New York Times bestseller and is now an Oscar-nominated film starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.
“The Green Book and Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program”
Monday, March 27, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– The Green Book was created by Victor H. Green, a postal service worker from Harlem, N.Y., who began publishing the guide in 1936 to help African Americans avoid, as he put it, “embarrassing moments” after motorists started exploring long-distance roadways including Route 66, the nation’s first transcontinental highway. Frank Norris is a historian with the National Park Service’s National Trails office, which oversees the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
“ADHD Nation: Children, Doctors, Big Pharma, and the Making of an American Epidemic,” Alan Schwarz
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– ADHD Nation is the definitive account of the widespread misdiagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—and how its unchecked growth over half a century has made ADHD one of the most controversial conditions in medicine, with serious effects on children, adults, and society. In ADHD Nation, Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Alan Schwarz examines the roots and the rise of this cultural and medical phenomenon: The father of ADHD, Dr. Keith Conners, spends fifty years advocating drugs like Ritalin before realizing his role in what he now calls “a national disaster of dangerous proportions”; a troubled young girl and a studious teenage boy get entangled in the growing ADHD machine and take medications that backfire horribly; and big Pharma egregiously over-promotes the disorder and earns billions from the mishandling of children and adults. While demonstrating that ADHD is real and can be medicated when appropriate, Schwarz sounds an alarm and urges America to address this growing national health crisis.
“Jar the Floor,” a panel discussion with the Arkansas Rep
Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– Four generations of African-American women gather to celebrate their beloved, outrageous matriarch’s 90th birthday. The trouble is, recently widowed MaDear would rather watch her soap operas and read her Bible than blow out the candles on her cake. Tempers flare and ugly secrets are revealed in this furiously fractured family portrait. Yet, even in the midst of so much turmoil, humor bites its way through the cycles of guilt and blame passed on from mothers to daughters. We invite you to join the cast and crew for a panel discussion about this production and more.
“Changing the Story: Blueprint for Change”
Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is proud to partner with the Clinton School of Public Service on the release of its latest publication, Changing the Story: Blueprint for Change. In March of 2016, the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas along with several partner organizations hosted a summit, or rather a call to action, for stakeholders around the state to address the status of women and girls in Arkansas and working in focus areas developed recommendations for improving the lives of females in our state. Following the Summit, over the course of a year, four working groups continued with the action plans to develop a blueprint for change in the areas of health, education, economics and workforce, and politics and leadership. The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is proud to showcase the efforts of all the dedicated volunteers who are committed to changing the status of women and girls in the state.
*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239.
*If you are unable to attend a public program in person, you can watch most programs live online here.
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