For the 12th year in a row, people from the eight states included in the Delta Regional Authority gathered in Little Rock to discuss the best ways to improve the impoverished area.
This year's Delta Grassroots Caucus covered health care, poverty, food insecurity, race relations, trade with Cuba and more as speakers from around the region met at the Clinton Presidential Center to share challenges, possible solutions and look to a brighter future for the Delta.
The authority serves parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois.
It was the second day of this year's conference on economic quality for working families. Those in attendance Tuesday heard from Gov. Asa Hutchinson; U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.; and representatives for former Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- now presidential candidates.
Wednesday's speakers included Republican U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford and Bruce Westerman, a call-in from former President Bill Clinton and speakers from various organizations from around the Delta.
Caucus Director Lee Powell said the point of the conference is to engage in dialogue and apply constructive pressure on those in power to make change.
"The board of directors and people who are active all the time, we contact the members of Congress, the governors, legislatures on a regular basis -- and if they come to a meeting like this and see lots of influential people, then they know when they're talking to me they're not just talking to me," Powell said. "They're talking to this entire coalition."
This year's caucus featured a discussion on race relations after protests in Cleveland, Baltimore, New York City and Ferguson, Mo., and smaller protests in other cities across the nation.
Maida Coleman, director of the Missouri Office of Community Engagement, told the caucus about her work in the state. The office was created and Coleman was appointed to the position after Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson in August 2014.
"I really believe that his death will not be in vain," Coleman said. "His death was a catalyst for something more significant happening. And we really do see that across our state, and I'm sure across this country.
"Now we're seeing protests across the country, whether it's in Baltimore, New York or wherever. You can see that this has hit a nerve. And it's really time for this country, I believe, to address our racial issues."
Coleman's office is tackling three issues in Missouri: race, poverty and education. Coleman said that while her office was created as a result of Brown's death in Ferguson, work needs to be done to address all three issues throughout the state, adding that those issues persist throughout the Delta.
Powell encouraged those in attendance Wednesday to contact their representatives and let them know about the issues outlined during Wednesday's speeches. The Delta Grassroots Caucus will also be taking a trip to Washington to meet with lawmakers this fall to call for improvement in the region.
Ben Burkett of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives has been working on improving the Delta area for 35 years. The Petal, Miss., native said progress has been made, but there's still more work to be done.
"I see hope," Burkett said. "I see future. I see a brighter light if we continue to work together as a region."
Metro on 05/28/2015