Back-to-Back Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebrations in Harrison

Two Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebrations coming to Harrison.

Two celebrations of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are planned in Harrison. One is later this week while the other comes the first of next week.

The first event is sponsored by the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation and is bringing keynote speaker Eric Braeden to town. Braeden is well known for his television role as Victor Newman on the soap opera “The Young & The Restless.”

Newman, a native of Germany, sent a video message last week that has circulated on social media. In the message Braeden said, “I’ve respected Martin Luther King ever since I came to this country. I came here as an 18-year-old in 1959 and I will never forget his speech at the Lincoln Memorial, ‘I Have A Dream.’”

Elizabeth Darden, with the Harrison Community Task Force on Race Relations, said, “This is an exciting time for our community! We are celebrating the late and great Martin Luther King Jr. with a couple events.  This is a significant time as it presents opportunities to reflect on King’s valuable messages that still have meaning today. I believe hearing the messages at these events will encourage people to get involved and improve our community by bridging barriers and addressing social issues.”

The celebration is planned for Friday, January 14^th, at Goblin Arena at the Harrison High School starting at 9:00 AM.

The second event is on Monday, January 17^th, at the Jack Williams Veterans Resource Center, commonly referred to as Camp Jack, at 411 Pine Street in Harrison. This celebration is planned as a partnership between North Arkansas Partnership on Health and Education Americorps VISTA and the Harrison Community Task Force on Race Relations.

The event is from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and according to a flyer the event “will be celebrating Sowing Seeds of Unity in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Hot Dogs and Refreshments will be provided. This event is made possible with funding from EngageAR.”