News

Feb. 4 MLK panel discussion to address the topic of “service to humanity”

University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College will host a panel discussion on the topic of service to humanity on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 11 a.m. at CHARTS Theater on the UA-PTC Main Campus in North Little Rock. A reception in the CHARTS lobby at 10 a.m. will precede the panel.

The event honors the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Panelists include Wendell Griffin of Little Rock; Agnolia Gay, actress, educator and training specialist at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site; and UA-PTC Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science Samantha Staggs. UA-PTC Teaching Professor of Computer Science Mayo Johnson will moderate the discussion and the following Q&A session.

Admission to the program is free of charge. It is open to the public as well as all UA-PTC students, faculty and staff. The event ushers in Black History month, which is observed throughout February.

The event is presented by the UA-PTC Cultural Diversity and Community Involvement Committee and Little Rock Central High National Historic Site.

About the panelists:

Wendell Griffen is pastor of New Millennium Church, Little Rock, Arkansas, Co-Chair of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, a retired Arkansas state court trial judge, and owner of a consulting firm specializing in cultural competency and inclusion. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas, a law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law, is author of two books and three Internet blogs, and writes and speaks about the intersection of faith, politics, and justice.

Agnolia B. Gay is an Arkansas Native. She is the Founder and CEO of her nonprofit, "An Intimate Exposure To African American Artists," and the Senior Vice President and Creative Director of "Cultural Immersion Media LLC," a television streaming network.

She is an actress, educator, writer, poet, author, director, coach, and educational consultant. She recently retired from the traditional classroom where she taught Speech, Theater, and Peer Mediation for 23 + years in the Little Rock School District, Pulaski County Special School District, Pine Bluff School District in Arkansas and she also taught in the Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida.

Agnolia is a member of Artist in Education and Artist on Tour with the Arkansas Arts Council, and currently works for the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, as a Training Specialist.

Sam Staggs, Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science at UA-PTC, brings 14 years of experience teaching history and political science to the classroom. She holds a BA in History and Anthropology from UA Little Rock and an MA in History from The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Staggs' research interests focus on U.S. Constitutional Law and Imperialism in the Atlantic World. As a humanities scholar with the Arkansas Humanities Council, she brings a strong foundation in the liberal arts to her teaching. At UA-PTC, Dr. Staggs serves as faculty sponsor for the History and Politics Club and the Rainbow Alliance.

Mayo Johnson is a native of Little Rock. He is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Arkansas - Pulaski Tech where he teaches Information Security and has worked as a faculty member since 2001. He graduated from Hall High School and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from the University of Central Arkansas and a Master’s Degree in Computer Information Management from Webster University. He worked at Acxiom Corporation as System Analyst/Administrator and worked as Technology Consultant in London, UK where he also studied International Information Management at Regents University. He is chairman of the UA-PTC Cultural Diversity and Community Involvement Committee. Mayo has University Teaching Certifications from the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) and Johns Hopkins University. He is a former Chair of the Little Rock Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission (RCDC) and led policy development by coordinating efforts to produce data showing the demographic composition of all City Boards and Commissions with the goal of inclusiveness in appointing citizens that reflect the diversity of the city.

He also has moderated a series of Community Forums on Race and Culture during the 50th Anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in 2007. He collaborated with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson as moderator for the UA-PTC Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. virtual event in 2021 themed Equity and Social Justice in the Pandemic.