Cornel West, a professor, philosopher, activist and author best known for his book "Race Matters," will be among the speakers at events commemorating the Martin Luther King Jr. state and federal holiday in Arkansas on Monday.
West will speak in Fayetteville at the University of Arkansas during its annual vigil, which begins at noon Monday and will be held in the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Seating will be available on a first come, first served basis. The vigil will include remarks from students and UA Chancellor Charles Robinson; a performance by the Inspirational Chorale; and a moderated question-and-answer session with West.
Questions for West can be submitted ahead of time at https://bit.ly/3ZucyCR.
An overflow room to watch a livestream will be available in UA's Arkansas Union Verizon Ballroom. Also, the event can be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3QDQNMF.
West, now 69, has spoken in Arkansas before. He addressed students and others at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2014 as part of the Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lectures Program.
He is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary, a private ecumenical Christian liberal seminary in New York City affiliated with Columbia University. West teaches the works of Bonhoeffer, as well as courses in Philosophy of Religion and African American Critical Thought. He is a former professor at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., and Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
Other events in Arkansas include:
• In partnership with Rock Region Metro, the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission will be hosting free bus rides all day.
• The Little Rock branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host their 36th annual Martin Luther King Day march and parade at 10 a.m. Monday. Their theme is "2023 The Dream Continues: Moving Forward Toward Freedom and Equity for Our Future!"
• The Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission is challenging cities, schools and community organizations to serve by coordinating a service project or act of kindness on Monday. Then, participants can post a photo or video on social media using the hashtag #MLK30. The commission will also host its first-ever MLK Unity Fireworks Spectacular at the North Shore Riverwalk Park in North Little Rock at 6 p.m. Admission is free.
• On Monday, volunteers in more than 35 locations across Arkansas will unveil upcycled newspaper dispensers, donated by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, stocked with nutritious food and other non-food items. The project is supported by the Engaged Cities of Service Network, the Arkansas Black Mayors Association, and statewide AmeriCorps programs.
• The city of Little Rock, City Year Little Rock, the Clinton Presidential Center, the Little Rock School District and Engage Arkansas are encouraging the community to join their efforts to alleviate food insecurity. Last week, the organizations collected non-perishable food and non-food items, such as diapers, to stock the new Mabelvale Middle School Food Pantry. Interested Arkansans can also drop off items on Monday during the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service at Mabelvale Middle School. Teams from City Year Little Rock and the Clinton Presidential Center will be on-site to fill the food pantry and complete school beautification projects.
• Southern Bancorp will host "Dreams & Opportunities," an event celebrating King's legacy and impact, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Philander Smith College in Little Rock. The event will feature remarks from Southern Bancorp CEO Darrin Williams and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., nationally recognized speaker BerThaddaeus Bailey's recreation of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and performances by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the Westwind School for Performing Arts.
• In Fort Smith, a number of events will be held at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and across the city. A list is available at https://bit.ly/3CNBjjw.
• The city of Benton will host a "Learning and Living Together" celebration with a breakfast from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Monday at the First Baptist Church of Benton, followed by a delivery to first responders and medical front-line staff provided by Big Red Stores. A "Day of Service" will be open to the public at Ralph Bunche Park starting at 10:30 a.m. To close the day, a parade will begin at 3 p.m. at South Market Street and end at South Main Street with a gathering on the Saline County Courthouse lawn.
• Keep Little Rock Beautiful is hosting a litter cleanup event at 11 a.m. Monday inside Interstate Park, with check-in at the blue Keep Little Rock Beautiful tent, 3900 S. Arch St., Little Rock. The cleanup will last until 1:30 p.m. Volunteers will pick up litter on one mile of the highway right of way near Interstate Park. Participants must be 16 years or older.
• The Central Arkansas Master Naturalists will lead a cleanup in the Fourche Creek Wetlands near the park at 9 a.m. on Monday in Little Rock. Meet other volunteers by the railroad tracks on South Chester Street. All ages are welcome.
• KLEK, Jonesboro's first and only black-owned radio station, will host community volunteers and commemorate King's legacy. Volunteers will be assisting the station with donor records and digitizing music from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. Anyone interested can sign up for a shift online.
• The Henry George School of Social Science will host a free, online webinar from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday that will examine the evolution in King's thinking on how to address the issue of extreme poverty and the major ideas and events that influenced his life and work. Speaker Edward J. Dodson will guide the discussion and examination of King's philosophy.