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UA - Pulaski Tech to host MLK, Jr. legacy panel discussion on Feb. 10

University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College will host a panel discussion honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Center for Humanities and Arts (CHARTS) on the college’s Main Campus.

The program, centered around the theme of service, begins at 11 a.m. in the CHARTS Theater, preceded by a public reception in the lobby at 10 a.m. Admission is free and open to the public, students, faculty, and staff. The event serves as a cornerstone for the college’s Black History Month observance.

The program will open with a recitation of Dr. King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech by the Rev. Cecil Gibson. Mayo Johnson, UA-PTC professor of computer science, will moderate the panel and subsequent Q&A session.

Featured panelists include:

Rev. Anika T. Whitfield, DPM: A Little Rock native, activist, community organizer, and former UA-PTC student. Dr. Whitfield serves as the executive director of Grassroots Arkansas and has a distinguished background in podiatric medicine and global community advocacy.

Rizelle Aaron: Owner of JRizelleIntel and current vice president of the North Little Rock NAACP. A U.S. Marine Corps and National Guard veteran, Aaron has served in law enforcement and as a former president of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP. He graduated with honors from Pulaski Technical College in 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Military Technologies.

Fidelia Rodriguez is a current UA - Pulaski Tech student majoring in Business. She is involved in Student Senate, Phi Theta Kappa, and the TRIO program.

Mayo Johnson: A professor of computer science at UA-PTC since 2001, Johnson is a former chair of the Little Rock Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission and former chair of the UA-PTC Cultural Affairs and Community Involvement Committee. He has a long history of moderating community forums on multi-cultural awareness, including the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School.

About CHARTS

The Center for Humanities and Arts (CHARTS) is located at UA – Pulaski Technical College’s Main Campus at 3000 West Scenic Drive in North Little Rock. The 90,000 square-foot facility houses a 456-seat proscenium theater and the Windgate Gallery. For more information, visit uaptc.edu/charts.