Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, while in the city to support Black sanitation workers on strike.
The Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, a division of the Arkansas Department of Education, is marking the 53rd anniversary of King’s assassination along with its own 28th anniversary.
The commission, which in its mission statement has the goal of “[promoting] understanding and acceptance of nonviolence and human equality as a way of building community among all Arkansans,” is marking the anniversary of Dr. King’s death with activities including a virtual remembrance event set for Monday at noon.
The virtual event, which features several state leaders who will recall their experiences the day Dr. King was assassinated, will be available on the commission’s social media and YouTube pages as well as its website.
Kermit Parks, the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission representative for El Dorado and the Fourth Congressional District, spoke with the News-Times on Saturday about the commission’s task of continuing Dr. King’s legacy and philosophy.
Parks worked as an administrator, instructor and board member with the South Arkansas Community College.
Commissioners of the nine-member MLK Commission are appointed by either a Governor, President Pro-tem of the Senate or Speaker of the House. Parks is currently serving a second term as a commissioner.
“[The MLK Commission] is an outreach organization, primarily for youth. As in Dr. King’s message, we’re a peaceful organization, which doesn’t mean we aren’t aggressive in that which we do. For example, in Harrison, Arkansas, in Boone County, the KKK has a long history there. Our executive director Dushun Scarborough has actually spent a good bit of time there, working in that community, so the two sides can come face to face and do some in-service education,” Parks said.
Parks said the commission works with other organizations that seek to further Dr. King’s philosophy, including the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, which was founded in 1968 by Coretta Scott King.
“I’ve been two times to the [King Center] in Atlanta and it’s a significant organization. They work hard training commissioners as well as other people who are interested in Dr. King’s message of peace,” Park said.
Parks said that King’s message of nonviolent struggle for social change is still relevant today.
“As we know of the history of the world, violence may have a short-term gain but typically has a long-term loss,” Parks said.
Education in King’s pacifist philosophy is part of the MLK Commission’s outreach. Its 2021 Nonviolence Youth Summit was held virtually on April 2 and had the theme “Crucial Community Conversations.” The summit included voices from a number of youth from across the state and was moderated by actress Vivica A. Fox.
Parks said the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the typical remembrance ceremony held by the commission for King’s death.
“Typically, [a remembrance event] would be held in Little Rock or the Little Rock area. We’d bring in a lot of high school students… There may be seven or eight hundred kids who come from around the state, and any community can send a bus-load or car-load to participate. Part of it is entertaining and part is educational,” Parks said.
Parks went on to praise the commission’s executive director, Deshun Scarborough.
“Deshun Scarborough, who is the executive director, is an excellent leader… If anybody has a need or want, I’d say to call Deshun. He has strong reaches in the communities around the state. One thing he does every fall is a giveaway for back-to-school and has social gatherings for the high school, wherever it may be,” Parks said.
The commission’s remembrance event for Dr. King will be held virtually tomorrow at noon and is available online in locations including facebook.com/AMLKC.