Monthly Archives: February 2015

Politics, Communications & Leadership focus of Clinton School program today

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Clinton-School-of-Public-Service-LogoSometimes politics, government and public service are viewed as three distinctly separate concepts.  Tonight at the Clinton School, speaker Dan Schnur will discuss how they work together to promote a better future.

Dan Schnur is the executive director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, where he works to motivate students to become involved in politics, government, and public service and teaches popular classes in politics, communications and leadership.

In 2010, Schnur was appointed Chairman of the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). During his tenure, he implemented groundbreaking campaign finance disclosure requirements for independent committees, appointed a bipartisan task force to update California’s 1978 Political Reform Act, and worked to assure the disclosure of campaign finance and spending practices, fair elections, and government transparency. In 2014, Dan ran for statewide office as a non-partisan candidate for California Secretary of State, the first candidate to run for statewide office as an Independent.

For years, Schnur was one of California’s leading political and media strategists, whose record includes work on four presidential and three gubernatorial campaigns including serving as the national Director of Communications for the 2000 presidential campaign of U.S. Senator John McCain and five years as chief media spokesman for California Governor Pete Wilson.

The program begins at 6pm at the Clinton School.

 

Chinese New Year – Celebrate the Year of the Goat with Heifer International

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heifer goatToday marks the Chinese New Year. As part of the twelve year cycle of animals, this year marks the Year of the Goat.

A few years back, a goat was featured on the TV show The West Wing in conjunction with Little Rock-based Heifer International.  For $120, an entire goat can be donated which will go to a family to help it achieve nutritional independence.  This link tells how to make a donation for part or all of a goat.  Even contributing $10 from one person can be combined with other donations to add up to $120 for a goat.  Information on other animal sponsor opportunities is available on the Heifer website.

Visitors to the Heifer Village can learn more about Heifer International.  The center features unique, hands on exhibits about the work of Heifer as well as facts about hunger, poverty, and empowerment of individuals.  It is located on Heifer International’s World Headquarters campus in downtown Little Rock next to Clinton Presidential Park.

Heifer International’s mission is to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth. Dan West was a farmer from the American Midwest and member of the Church of the Brethren who went to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War as an aid worker. His mission was to provide relief, but he soon discovered the meager single cup of milk rationed to the weary refugees once a day was not enough.

And then he had a thought: What if they had not a cup, but a cow?

That “teach a man to fish” philosophy is what drove West to found Heifer International. And now, over 70 years later, that philosophy still inspires our work to end world hunger and poverty throughout the world once and for all.

Free Admission at Clinton Presidential Center today

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Clinton Library 3The Clinton Presidential Center was supposed to be free on Monday in honor of the George Washington Birthday Federal Holiday.  Since the facility was closed due to the inclement weather, they have extended the offer today.  Also free are audio tours narrated by President Clinton.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see the new temporary exhibits, “Pigskin Peanuts” and “Heartbreak in Peanuts.”  In honor of the 65th Anniversary of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, the Clinton Center – in partnership with the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California – celebrates the life and legacy of the creator of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and the entire Peanuts gang.

“Pigskin Peanuts” features Schulz’s football-themed Peanuts comic strips. It also highlights how Charles Schulz often explored the theme of fairness in his comic strip and believed in giving everyone equal opportunity.

“Heartbreak in Peanuts” underscores the prevalence of love in the comic strip. Both exhibitions feature reproductions of Charles Schulz’s original Peanuts strips, student activities within the exhibition, 5–foot sculptures of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, and themed objects and ephemera.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Clinton Presidential Center

Tonight at South on Main’s Local Live – Hired Guns featuring Bruce Johnston, Tyndall Jackson, and Cliff Aaron

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LOCAL_LIVE_Logo2The streets are clearing, and things are returning to normal. This includes the fact that Local Live concert series takes the stage tonight at South on Main at 7:30 pm.

Join the Oxford American magazine for this week’s free concert starring Hired Guns featuring Bruce Johnston, Tyndall Jackson, and Cliff Aaron! Call ahead at (501) 244-9660 to guarantee your seat for this popular series. Local Live is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Cosmic Cowboy Music.

Bruce Johnston is a bassist and award-winning composer with a doctorate in music composition from the University of Miami. He is a lecturer at Ouachita Baptist University where he overseas the Classical Guitar and String Bass programs. Johnston has studied with the likes of jazz legends Donald Brown and Jerry Coker, and he can be seen around the region performing with Charlotte Taylor, Kim Griffin, and David Rosen, as well as a host of other great talents.

Tyndall Jackson is a thirty-year veteran of the delta region, and he holds a guitar performance degree and received the Outstanding Musicianship award as a student. He has toured extensively with his band, Mojo Depot, and was active in Los Angeles for ten years before moving back home to Little Rock. Jackson has a true gift of seamlessly connecting ideas with blazing speed that builds in ever-increasing intensity, and he is quickly becoming a local guitar legend.

Cliff Aaron is a seasoned professional drummer and the CEO/Founder of Drummerboyinfinity—dedicated to bringing attention and respect to the incredible musical talent that exists in the region. He grew up in central Arkansas and has performed, toured, and recorded with the likes of Beyonce, 311, and Victor Wooten. Aaron’s aggressive yet finessing approach to the drum set is incredibly unique and boundless; he creates sheets of sound that truly transcend the audience to a higher plane.

Black History Month Spotlight: Fatima Robinson

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bhm fatimaAs a critically acclaimed dancer, choreographer and director, Fatima Robinson is the woman behind the moves for some of today’s top music artists including OutKast, the Black Eyed Peas, Will Smith, Mary J. Blige and the late Aaliyah. Her eclectic, fluid, urban style has made her one of the hottest choreographers in the field.

Born in Little Rock, Robinson moved to Los Angeles at the age of four with her mother and two younger sisters. After completing high school at the age of 16, Robinson became a certified cosmetologist and worked for a time as a professional hairdresser while dreaming of operating her own hair salon like her mother. Ultimately, however, Robinson’s love for dance would become the catalyst for dreams even bigger than she ever dared to dream.

Her “big break” came when film director John Singleton asked her to choreograph the video for Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” single. Since then, she has gone on to receive numerous accolades and awards including being named by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the “100 Most Creative People in Entertainment”, and more recently, the October 2004 issue of Essence magazine singled her out as one of 40 “Women Who are Shaping the World.”

Recognition for Robinson’s art continues to mount. After seven nominations, in 2004 she walked away with the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video.  Fatima recently directed and choreographed Cee-Lo Green’s new Las Vegas show “Loberace,” and choreographed commercials for Nike and Heineken with director Rupert Sanders. Fatima also notably choreographed the 2011 Super Bowl Halftime show with the Black Eyed Peas, 2012 Coachella Tupac Hologram, HBO Inauguration event for President Barack Obama, and the Sony Pictures movie Sparkle, starring Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston. Fatima also choreographed the 2007 and 2009 Oscars, making her the second African American woman in history to do so.

In 2004, she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.  For more on Fatima Robinson and other inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, visit the permanent

Laughter and Lyrics tonight featuring Phyllis Yvonne Stickney

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mtcc nps stickneyThe Central High School National Historic Site and Mosaic Templars Cultural Center present a special program tonight.  The program is “Laughter & Lyrics” and stars acclaimed actress, comedienne and author Phyllis Yvonne Stickney.  The event starts at 6:30 pm tonight at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.

Drawing from the words of some of the leading African American female writers and thinkers in the second half of the 20th Century, Stickney has created an evening of thought provoking spoken word, social commentary, live music, and Conscious Comedy. This 90 minute theatrical presentation will draw on the body works of Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee and feature excerpts from Beah Richards’ “A Black Woman Speaks.”

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is a world-class artist, producer, director, author, motivational speaker, clothing designer, community activist, businesswoman and surrogate mother to many. Ms. Stickney is best known and respected for her work in film, stage, television and comedy. Her portrayals range from articulate attorney to feisty comedy club diva, to a Jamaican mother of class. She is regarded as one of the most intelligently hilarious comic talents and was recognized by HBO in THE HISTORY OF BLACKS IN COMEDY. Her film credits include NEW JACK CITY, DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK, THE INKWELL, WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?, MALCOLM X, and the “ABC Afterschool Special,” DADDY’S GIRL. She made television history by portraying an Afrocentric character on THE COSBY SHOW spinoff, A DIFFERENT WORLD.

She also played Lena in Lorraine Hansberry’s award-winning play A RAISIN IN THE SUN at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. The play was produced in January 2011 and received great reviews and exceeded box office expectations.

 

Teacher Recruitment and Retention is focus of Clinton School program today

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Clinton-School-of-Public-Service-LogoJonathan Crossley, who teaches at Palestine Wheatley High School, was selected as the 2014 Arkansas Teacher of the Year in November 2013. In addition to teaching 11th and 12th-grade English and oral communication and serving as the drama director, Crossley is the literacy coach for grades six through 12. His students were recognized for the most improved literacy scores in the state of Arkansas, improving from 36% to 92% proficient or advanced.

Furthermore, Crossley tracks ACT score growth where his students improved an average of 5.6 points (17.6-23.2). He was recently selected as a national honor roll teacher for the Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice and the Lowell Milken Fellowship for Unsung Heroes.

This evening at the Clinton School he will discuss teacher retention and recruitment. He’ll further examine the role they play in influencing educational equality.

The program begins at 6pm at the Clinton School of Public Service.