One of the few visits noted civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. made to Arkansas came in May 1958.
Arkansas AM&N College, now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, invited King to serve as the keynote speaker at the school's graduation.
Then a young minister known for leading the boycott against segregated buses in Montgomery, Ala., King told students assembled in the college's gymnasium that "through the use of non-violence, understanding and goodwill we will achieve desegregation and integration."
King went on to become a mainstream figure in American history before his assassination April 4, 1968, in Memphis, but his legacy and how it is commemorated remain contentious to this day.
On Monday, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday, the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission hosted an interfaith prayer breakfast that included a keynote speech by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Huckabee's appearance drew criticism from the Little Rock chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as well as the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus, which said the appearance was inappropriate because of previous statements Huckabee had made which the caucus deemed racially insensitive.
The commission, part of the Arkansas Department of Education, also has been criticized for ignoring what some have described as attempts by Republicans to repeal voting rights.
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Commission Executive Director DuShun Scarbrough focused more Monday on King's call to charity rather than any particular political message. The commission helped organize a day of service event at Little Rock Catholic High School, where volunteers handed out free food and nurses administered free health screenings and covid-19 vaccinations.
Scarbrough, a native of Little Rock, noted the event was racially integrated with Black and white volunteers.
"He fought for racial equality and racial harmony," Scarbrough said. "I think that, you know, we still have a ways to go, but I think we are progressing rapidly."
Karyn Bradford Coleman expressed a different view of the current state of civil rights in Arkansas, saying she believed King would be "extremely disappointed" regarding the ongoing fight over voting rights.
Coleman, who said she works for the Democratic National Committee, registered voters at the event at Catholic High School with her sorority Delta Sigma Theta.
"What I think Arkansas can do better at is, obviously, unity and equality and equity," she said. "And understanding the difference between equal treatment and equity."
In the 63 years since King's first visit to the state, Arkansas has moved from a place where a governor used the National Guard in an effort to prevent the desegregation of Central High School to one where in 1997 two of Arkansas' most famous sons, President Bill Clinton and Huckabee, held open the school doors for the nine students who desegregated the school.
In 1958, King's message of nonviolence and racial equality was anything but universally well received. His commencement speech at Arkansas AM&N landed poorly among the segregationist Arkansas Legislature, which moved to cut funding to the college because of its invitation to King.
Later that day, King traveled to Little Rock where he watched the graduation of Ernest Green, the sole Black student in Central High School's senior class. According to the Arkansas Gazette, there were 100 uniformed police officers and 200 National Guard soldiers on hand for the ceremony at Quigley Stadium.
A year later, the Arkansas General Assembly passed several laws banning state employment to members of the NAACP and requiring state employees to disclose their political affiliations, according to the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
On Monday, the Arkansas NAACP hosted its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day "Marade," with the event held online because of continued high rates of covid-19 in Arkansas.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and state representatives Joy Springer, D-Little Rock, and Fred Love, D-Little Rock, spoke during the event about contemporary political issues such as voting rights, poverty and health care.
The event also featured performances from the Little Rock Central High School marching band and flag line and the Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School madrigals.
Scott said King's legacy was about taking on the establishment of his day.
"He was a man of change, and when you understand change, change is not an easy thing," Scott said. "Everyone loves to talk about it until it's time do something about it."
The Rev. Stephen A. Green of Harlem gave the keynote speech, taking aim at "voter suppressive laws" aimed at Black voters. Green is taking part in a hunger strike as part of an effort to pressure Congress into passing voting-rights legislation.
"What matters the most is ensuring that we are prioritizing -- ensuring -- that everyone has access to the ballot," Green said. "Ensuring that everyone has access to quality healthcare in the midst of a global pandemic, that has disproportionately impacted lives of people who are Black and brown across this nation."
Along Arch Street, adjacent to Interstate Park, a group of 52 volunteers also spent Monday morning picking up trash from the side of the road and in the park.
Suzanne Hirrel, one the volunteers, said her group of volunteers with Keep Little Rock Beautiful takes part in cleanup events several times a year.
Hirrel said the group had planned to host the event in December, but rain made organizers postpone the event with the thought that Martin Luther King Jr. Day would increase turnout.
"We thought this would be a great opportunity, you know, since it is a national day of service," Hirrel said. "You know, maybe people would be willing to come out and join us to pick up litter."
Gallery: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events
