River Valley events to put focus on unity
Series of gatherings planned to honor life, legacy of King
FORT SMITH — Unity will be at the forefront of a series of events this holiday weekend honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Carolyn Mosley, president of the River Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, said her organization is spearheading the public events with help from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and others. Events will run from Saturday through Jan. 15 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a state and federal holiday.
Mosley said the theme of the events is “UNITY - It Starts With Me.” She attributed the commission’s decision to focus on that theme to the current political and social climate across America and explained it wants to send a message that people can disagree with one another and still be unified.
“Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a belief. But that doesn’t mean that we cannot live together in harmony, and so that was what Dr. Martin Luther King was about,” Mosley said.
“He was about peace. He was about unity. He was about us living together as brothers and sisters. He even said one day that we will walk together, we will talk together, we will go to school together. That was his dream. That was the impetus for his famous speech, ‘I Have a Dream.’”
The celebrations will kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday with the UNITY - It Starts With Me Banquet in the Reynolds Room at the UAFS Campus Center, according to a university news release. Wendell Griffen, a lawyer, jurist and legal educator with a history of working in diversity, strategic planning and public policy, will be the keynote speaker.
After graduating from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, Griffen became the first Black person at the major Arkansas law firm Wright, Lindsey & Jennings in 1979, attaining partner status in 1983, the news release states.
Gov. Bill Clinton appointed Griffen chairman of the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission in 1985 before Gov. Jim Guy Tucker appointed him to the Arkansas Court of Appeals in 1996, where he remained until 2008.
Griffen later became a visiting professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in 2009, according to the news release. He was elected as a circuit judge in 2010.
Mosley noted Friday tickets for the banquet are sold out.
Rachel Putman, director of strategic communications at UAFS, said an ecumenical celebratory prayer service will be held 6 p.m. Sunday at St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Smith. Ulysses Washington, district superintendent and chief mission strategist for the Central District of the United Methodist Churches in Arkansas, will lead the event.
UAFS will also host the free Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast at its campus center from 7 to 9 a.m. Jan. 15, according to Putman. Najja Baptist, assistant professor of political science at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, is expected to discuss his 2022 article, “Politics in the Key of Life: Black Music as Black Activism,” which focuses on MLK Day and how civic activism in the arts inspired a movement to bring the holiday federal recognition.
The breakfast will be followed by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity in Action Parade at 11 a.m. in downtown Fort Smith.
L.E. Housley Jr., a member of the River Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission who is a co-chairman of the parade with Deborah Woodard, said those participating in the event will begin lining up at 9:30 a.m. behind the Stephens building at North Seventh Street and Garrison Avenue. The parade will proceed down Garrison Avenue to Immaculate Conception Church.
Housley said anybody can participate in the free parade, which he described as the “grand finale” of these MLK celebrations.
“It’s going to be the final event of the day, so bring the family out and bring the lawn chair out,” Housley said.
Housley estimated about 30 entities — more than 100 people — signed up to take part in the parade as of Thursday morning. Among the confirmed participants are the Northside High School Grizzly Band and Color Guard and the Future School of Fort Smith, as well as Fort Smith Mayor George McGill.
McGill said in an emailed statement the parade serves as an educational tool and inspires the youth by commemorating King’s life and contributions.
He said it provides an opportunity for the local community to learn about the history of the Civil Rights Movement and encourages discussions about social justice.
“The parade fosters a sense of unity within our city, reinforcing the importance of diversity and inclusion,” McGill said. “By celebrating together, Fort Smith residents can strengthen bonds and emphasize the collective effort needed for positive change.”
Housley said Monday is the deadline to register for the parade.
Students of the Fort Smith School District won’t have school on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to the district’s website.