Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site is partnering with Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, TCAA (The College of Aspiring Artists), Supreme Day of Prayer MLK Commission, NAACP, KABF 88.3 FM, and Starbucks to host two panel discussions focusing on creating a future drawn from lessons from our past and reaching advancements in diversity through the lens of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s contributions to civil rights in America.
On Thursday, January 10, panel discussions will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 West 9th Street, Little Rock. The collective panels will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and body of work. Youth Leadership Academy members from the National Historic Site will serve as opening panelists and engage the audience in a powerful dialogue on the significance of the past in shaping our collective future. Additional panelists will include students from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Pulaski Technical College.
A second panel will highlight and contribute to the filming of FEEL THE MOVEMENT: FROM PROPHECY TO PROMISE, a documentary produced by TCAA (The College of Aspiring Artists). This documentary narrates the last moments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, his final prophecy prior to his assassination in 1968 and the relevance of his prophecy today with the inclusion of recordings from the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, the National Civil Rights Museum, William J. Clinton Presidential Center, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial spanning 1989-2013.
The second panel will be composed of ministers, historians, documentarians, and community leaders exchanging their views on key topics including the “state of the promise” concerning diversity and cultural competence in Arkansas and America. A close examination will focus on what changes occurred between 2008-2012 with the election of the nation’s first African-American President and what needs to happen in diversity advancements beyond 2013. This forum will examine the critical role of the ministers, institutional leaders, media and others in making Arkansas and the nation more culturally diverse and competent.
Please note that the event will be filmed for inclusion in the documentary scheduled for release in the fall of 2013.
