BeLOVED Community

We sit down with Sarah Moore, Fayetteville City Council member and one of the founders of the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition. AJRC works to end mass incarceration led by the voices of the families and individuals of those directly impacted.

The latest episode of “The Beloved Community”, a podcast collaboration between the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Council and KUAF, examines the concept of speaking truth to power. This month’s guest is Monique Jones.

Chris sits down with HR professional and community collaborator, Monique Jones, to talk about her experiences running the St. James Missionary Baptist Church's Community Food Pantry, addressing the transportation needs of the community in Fayetteville, running for public office, and her inspiration to continue speaking truth to power.

Chris and Lindsey sit down with a man well-known in Fayetteville, as an educator, leader, friend, mentor, and advocate, Dr. John Colbert. Dr. Colbert recently retired as the twelfth superintendent of Fayetteville Public Schools. In his ground-breaking 46 year career, 43 years with Fayetteville Public Schools, he has served as the district’s first African-American special education teacher, the first African-American principal, and the first African-American superintendent. He is also the first FPS staff member to rise through the ranks from teacher to principal to assistant superintendent to superintendent.

For our fourth episode, Lindsey and Chris introduce and discuss The State of Black NWA, a groundbreaking community-wide initiative designed to amplify the voices of the Black community across Northwest Arkansas (NWA). The Council is launching the census project to gain a deeper understanding of the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas, with a particular focus on members of the Black community.The State of Black NWA census is for individuals who identify as Black or are descendants of the African diaspora living in Northwest Arkansas (NWA) and is available here.

Dr. Danielle Williams, Assistant Vice Chancellor & Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance and member of the NWA MLK Council, talks with Chris and Lindsey about the history, evolution, and meaning of Juneteenth, now a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas at the end of the Civil War. University of Arkansas' 26th annual celebration of Juneteenth. Freedom Fest will take place at Shiloh Square in Springdale, June 17th from 1-9 p.m with musical performances by Bone Thugs N Harmony, the Ohio Players, Young Joc, the Funk Factory, and more. Freedom Fest is a family-friendly, free event.

The latest edition of The BeLOVEd Community includes a conversation about Juneteenth and thinking beyond the holiday.

On today's show, a documentary about Arkansas farmers preserving soil will be shown at the Fayetteville Public Library. Also, yesterday's election results, a state parks quiz and an offshoot of Arkansas LEARNS is signed into law. Plus, a new act exempts nutrient management plans from FOIA. The plans are used to keep tabs on the amount of nutrients on the land to prevent pollution.

The latest episode of "The BeLOVEd Community" includes a conversation with Rickey Booker about DEI initiatives, our changing world and seeking other experiences. The podcast is a joint production of the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Council and KUAF.

Join NWA MLK Council treasurer Chris Seawood and Dr. Rickey Booker as they discuss the diversity, equity and Inclusion landscape, it's necessity, history and ongoing placement in the sphere of race relations in Arkansas and beyond. You can read Dr. Booker's article "Progress Takes Time" on Arkansas Soul here. And you read more about Dr. Booker's work and read more of his writing here.Learn more about the work of the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Council's work here.