NPC to celebrate Black History Month
National Park College will host guests for a Black History Month celebration on Thursday taking place in the Student Commons Conference Room at 1 p.m.
The event is open to the public and will feature guest speaker Anthony Tidwell, founder of the local nonprofit organization Cutwell 4 Kids and the Hot Springs Dance Troupe, which will perform “The New Normal,” a dance inspired by the uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic and the overwhelming events that have happened since.
“It is an opportunity to honor the accomplishments of Black Americans and, specifically for NPC, to bring awareness and education about the contributions of local leaders or those with ties to Arkansas.” Darla Thurber, vice president for external affairs and chief of staff at NPC told The Sentinel-Record in an email.
Tidwell, who also serves as the Region 8 prevention provider for Ouachita Children, Youth, and Family Services, said he was already involved in the kinds of services he provides with OCYFS through Cutwell 4 Kids.
The organization “wants to reduce the misuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs across five counties and Cutwell 4 Kids plays a small part in that by providing an alternative activity,” Tidwell said. “So the times they’re here with C4K, they’re not drinking, they’re not smoking, they’re doing something positive.”
“Anthony Tidwell is the perfect person to have to campus to speak. Anthony’s education and experiences inspired the vision and need for the creation of the Cutwell 4 Kids organization, which provides healthy alternatives and to prevent youth and adults from further unhealthy behaviors,” Thurber said.
Tidwell was asked to speak about his experience in serving the community. He said he saw a need in the community for a visual arts program and decided to use his grandparents’ old business to open an art studio as a nonprofit.
“I know how the arts saved my life and how they encouraged me,” he said. “I wanted kids in the neighborhood to have that same experience.”
“The New Normal” was choreographed by Amy Bramlett
Turner, the director of dance for Hot Springs School District. She teaches seventh through 12th grade. The Dance Troupe consists of eighth-graders to high school seniors.
“Every year, we always try to create a social justice work that is meaningful and it speaks to people,” Bramlett Turner said. “So this year, the prompt was ‘How has your life changed in the last few years?’ just in terms of going virtual with COVID and just all of the somewhat chaos that’s happening in our world.”
Bramlett Turner had the dancers pick out broadcast news stories from the last two years that spoke to them and then chose specific portions to include with the music for the dance. She said she hopes the dance brings hope to the audience during such unprecedented times.
Tidwell said he was looking forward to the opportunity to speak at the college and hopes he inspires the attendees about the importance of education. He said he wouldn’t have the opportunity to speak at the event if it weren’t for his education.
“I’m honored,” he said. “I never thought I’d be contacted by a college to speak for Black History Month.
“If I hadn’t gone back to school and got my education, if I hadn’t taken the time to understand that it’s very important to have an education, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Black History Month is a huge part of the Dance Troupe’s year, Bramlett Turner said, noting she starts planning out the dances for the next school year over the summer.
“I just think it’s so important to recognize all people of all backgrounds, all colors, all experiences