UCA to host racial equity conference

The University of Central Arkansas Center for Community and Economic Development will host the second annual 2021 Arkansas Racial Equity Summit on Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in McCastlain Ballroom on the UCA campus.

Speakers are Andre Douglas Pond Cummings of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, Adena White of Blackbelt Voices, Kara Wilkins of the Arkansas Black Philanthropy Collaborative and Martie North Hamilton of System Critical LLC.

The conference will feature topics such as the history of racial injustice in Arkansas, elevating Black voices and best practices for diversity, equity and inclusion in organizations and communities.

Grant recipients from the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation — Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub in Little Rock, Southeast Arkansas College in Pine Bluff and OneCommunity in Springdale — will also present the work they are doing and its impact across the state.

“Our hope is that the 2021 summit will build off of the conversations we facilitated in 2020 and that it will spark conversations and action at the local level,” Center for Community and Economic Development director Shelby Fiegal said. “We view the summit as a place where we can grow individually and pinpoint ways we can develop communities and organizations that are diverse, equitable and inclusive.”

Admission to the event is free, thanks to a grant from the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation and event sponsors ARcare and the Conway Area of Commerce.

For more information including the agenda and registration, visit https://uca.edu/cced/arkansas-racial-equity-summit/ or contact Dylan Edgell at dedgell1@uca.edu.

Attendees will be required to adhere to UCA’s covid-19 guidelines on masking and social distancing during the event.