Reimagine Arkansas

16/10/2023

Justice activists in Arkansas can draw hope and inspiration from the relentless efforts of Marshallese advocates from organizations such as the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese to restore hope and equal rights after tragic losses and inequities due to our own nation's nuclear testing. For an example, look no further than their efforts to right a wrong that has persisted for over 30 years when the Marshallese were unintentionally left out of SNAP benefits following the passage of the 1996 welfare reform bill. This is in spite of their lawful residence and outsized role in our region’s food production. As taxpayers, vital supporters of U.S. defense efforts, and essential contributors to our communities and economy — it’s a right long overdue. With multiple pathways available to legislators on the dockets right now, this is an opportunity for us to ensure that “no one, no kid, no family goes hungry.”

Learn more from Arkansas Advocate and check out the latest report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families urging legislative action to provide SNAP benefits to Arkansas' Marshallese community. https://bit.ly/3RZ0OH2

09/10/2023

As the Natural State's cycling network grows, it becomes increasingly clear that cycling offers more than just recreation; it's a powerful catalyst for healing and education. Bentonville-based BIke.POC recently partnered with Baratunde Thurston from PBS America Outdoors to explore the Delta Heritage Trail in Arkansas. Their journey took them to the historic town of Elaine, where they met Mayor Lisa Gilbert, the first Black and first female mayor of Elaine, Arkansas, and gained insight into the ongoing efforts to address intergenerational trauma resulting from racialized violence in the South, including the 1919 Elaine Massacre.

View the full episode here: https://www.pbs.org/video/baratunde-visits-elaine-arkansas-sbilfv/

24/08/2023

To know the work of The KKAC Organization is to know the truth about historic wealth loss and creation in the Delta. It's to experience the abundance in efforts to conserve land, repair wrongs and expand access to wealth-building opportunities. And, ultimately, it's believing that the story of Arkansas is continuously unfolding.

The threads are all there. Let’s keep weaving them together to write a new narrative capable of sustaining a joyful and justice-centered movement in our state.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/3PbwgQI

11/08/2023

In JCA's new "I Am Arkansas" campaign, Arkansans beautifully share how the rich and complex history of people and places has shaped the state they're proud to call home, igniting the inspiration, fostering connections, and paving the way for a future of profound belonging, prosperity, and boundless possibilities.

Bookmark the entire series and get to know some of your neighbors a bit better on the Just Communities of Arkansas website here: https://arkansasjustcommunities.org/connect/i-am-arkansas/

26/07/2023

“This is about creating something from nothing, and bringing pride back to an area, back to our farm, back to our family.” - Harvey Williams, co-founder of Delta Dirt Distillery

It takes imagination to reclaim the history and legacy of a place, especially when that history is rooted in the exploitative practice of sharecropping. But that's exactly what each new generation of the Williams family has done, from buying the land with profits earned from cotton and moonshine to keeping the land productive by growing sweet potatoes and turning those sweet potatoes into world-class vodka.

The story of Delta Dirt is a story about what it means to reimagine Arkansas. It begins with reimagining the individual roles and places we occupy that are meaningful to us. But it doesn’t stop there - the dynamic and contagious power of imagination is that it spills over to entire communities, populations and even generations to follow.

Learn more about Delta Dirt Distillery by listening to Season 2 episode 1 of The Black Kitchen Initiative presented by Heinz. https://www.heinz.com/blackkitchen/

Where is your imagination taking you today? What steps will you take that could have a ripple effect on the legacy of your family, community and our state?

21/07/2023

Young people in Arkansas are not just a demographic—they are the driving force behind our future. We need to amplify their voices as they hold the power to shape a brighter tomorrow.

Don't miss the annual edition of "Our Voices," a youth-led magazine produced and published by The Village Place. This incredible initiative aims to uplift, empower, and showcase the diverse perspectives of young changemakers.

Let's listen, engage, and support these brilliant minds as they shed light on critical issues, advocate for justice, and celebrate the joy that brings us all together.

Check out the magazine here: https://thevillageplace.org/our-voices-magazine

If you would like to subscribe to a private, text-based feed dedicated to people, projects, initiatives, groups, and organizations shifting dominant narratives and building more just and joyful, drop us a message here: https://bit.ly/3XX6Top

20/07/2023

Community Update: Reimagine Arkansas began as a simple idea to give voices that matter the energy, imagination and resources they need to move.

From engaging essential workers on the pandemic's frontline to convening teachers grappling with the LEARNS Act, we consistently pose a crucial question to those closest to the challenges, leading us to discover the most promising and sustainable solutions:

"What's YOUR vision for Arkansas' future? What can we do today to bring it to life?"

Recently, we had the privilege of cohosting the inaugural Starshine Narrative Summit with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. The event revealed an inspiring volume and diversity of people, projects, initiatives, groups, and organizations shifting dominant narratives and building futures that work for all Arkansans.

Today, we have the unique opportunity to create a space that embraces these stories as part of a larger and promising movement towards justice rooted in Arkansas' rich history of power-building.

Our mission is to curate content that gives shape to a shared narrative, energizing movement organizers and expanding their network of allies.

Moving forward, we will transform all our communication channels - LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and our Community platform - into this empowering framework. Our commitment is clear: to amplify the voices shaping Arkansas' future, foster a sense of collective empowerment, and build a resilient network of allies united in the pursuit of justice and positive change.

Toward a more just and joyful future,
Reimagine Arkansas

If you would like to subscribe to a private, curated feed dedicated to this topic, drop us a message here: https://bit.ly/3XX6Top

21/02/2023

Calling all teachers, former teachers, and future teachers! Do you have thoughts about how the LEARNS Act will impact the future of education in Arkansas? We hope to hear from you.

28/06/2022

What are the potential implications of rural broadband intersecting with the rising availability of remote/hybrid work opportunities for youth and their respective communities throughout rural Arkansas?

*Note: we have a strong preference for audio and video survey feedback, but this option requires a stable WiFi connection. Bonus points if your current position is remote-based.

14/06/2022

"There is no single box that could adequately describe a real person." Artist, Ariel Romero

This artwork was inspired by conversations with current and former mentors of the LIFE program at NorthWest Arkansas Community College. A program that recognizes and celebrates the lives of underrepresented students in all their fullness and potential. To learn more visit https://bit.ly/3zA2BZX

16/05/2022

"In this constellation kit for LIFE at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, much of the conversation surrounded issues of identity and the struggle for undocumented students to be known for something other than their status. With this animation, I wanted to show how the labels that people place on an individual are only skin deep." - Ariel Romero, Artist

Check out the full constellation here: https://reimaginearkansas.com/in-the-light-nwacc-life-mentors-model-bright-futures-for-underrepresented-students-in-arkansas/

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

28/04/2022

"Even though the LIFE Program is not just for Latino students, it really helped me feel surrounded and loved by people who not only looked like me but talked like me. And who were also inclusive of other people who didn't look like us, who didn't talk like us. And it was just love. And it gave me this awesome ideal of what life could be outside the walls of LIFE." - Marco, NorthWest Arkansas Community College LIFE Legacy Mentor

In our latest kit, Reimagine Arkansas partnered up with NWACC's Life Program to find out how a mentorship program for underrepresented high school students in Northwest Arkansas has become a blueprint for belonging, opportunity and success in our region. Listen to the voices of young, Latinx/o professionals who served as mentors in the program and locate yourself and others in our community in the art they inspired.

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

“The LIFE mentors provided me with the opportunity to view people like me in positions of being role models that I didn’t think were imaginable and doing things that I didn’t think I would be able to do. And so it really taught me the importance of representation. And it’s just honestly been...

04/03/2022

In 1980s Arkansas, a multiracial crew had boots on the ground…

02/03/2022

Join Arkansas People's History Project this Thursday, March 3rd at 6pm CST to learn about a new digital exhibit on the 1980s and 1990s history of a network tackling racism, sexism, homophobia, and economic injustice across Arkansas.

Register at https://tinyurl.com/wplaunchsignup

Join the Arkansas People’s History Project to engage with highlights from a new web exhibit about the early history of the Women’s Project and hear from former members.

23/02/2022

Join the Arkansas People’s History Project to engage with highlights from a new web exhibit about the early history of the Women’s Project and hear from former members.

23/02/2022

We can't wait to mix it up with CACHE! Join us.

Join CACHE Connect Live this Thursday at 6 PM!

Our monthly film and media industry mixer is a space for film and media makers of all levels to connect, learn and inspire each other. Let's talk about what you are creating, what you need to thrive--and don't forget to make new friends and have a good time. We'll be meeting online this month, but we look forward to meeting in person soon.

This month we’ll be talking the team and artists behind Reimagine Arkansas. Reimagine Arkansas is a statewide listening channel that amplifies underheard voices to build more just and joyous futures for all Arkansans. Launched in 2020, Reimagine began as a simple idea to give voices that matter the energy, imagination and resources they need to move. To date, they've held 35 conversations across the state and convened more than 100 voices, including frontline healthcare workers, Marshallese youth, and DACA students enrolled in community college. They've created a network of 30 Arkansas-based creatives committed to deploying their artistic skills for equity-focused campaigns and produced eight constellation kits consisting of more than 100 graphics designed for social media distribution. Reimagine Arkansas is driven by the belief that where there’s story, there’s art. Where there’s art, there are futures within the grasp of imagination. And if we can imagine it, we can build it.

Featured guests:
• Sara Bishop of Orchid Communications, LLC
• SeanFresh
• Kahlief Steele - Art/Design
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Register for the Zoom event here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctceysrz8tH9GcIi8g49J2oM-g2fE6I3vt
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CACHE Connect LIVE! is a one-hour arts and culture live gathering hosted by various members of the CACHE (Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange) team.

04/01/2022

Where there’s story, there’s art. Where there’s art, there are futures within the grasp of imagination. And if we can imagine it, we can build it.

In 2021, 10 Arkansas-based artists worked with us to amplify voices across the state: Ariel Romero, Kahlief Steele, J'Aaron Merchant, Karina Labrada, Brysen Taylor, Andrew Brott, Casey Weatherford (Kind Creative Co.), Sarah Melby, Trenton Meeks and Matthew Castellano.

Check out some of their artwork and listen to a few of the audio excerpts from facilitated community convos with our amazing partners including the Rural Community Alliance, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, The Momentary, and the Micah Fellows Program.

If you are curious about where we are headed in 2022, check out our guest blog post on the Cortico LVN website: https://cortico.ai/news/community-conversations-designed-to-travel/

17/12/2021

In the nonprofit community, there is a saying that “those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.”

Attributed to criminal justice reform advocate Glenn E. Martin, this phrase underlies countless hours and philanthropic dollars dedicated to the practice of hosting community conversations.

Yet conversations designed to engage underrepresented voices, uncover biases, and inform key decision-making are likely to hold more space inside computer drives than with audiences who need to hear them (…)

Read the rest of our guest blog post published by Cortico earlier today >>> https://cortico.ai/news/community-conversations-designed-to-travel/

by Sara Bishop, Co-Founder of Reimagine Arkansas Community Conversations Designed to Travel In the nonprofit community, there is a saying that “those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.”  Attributed to criminal justice reform advocate Glenn E. Martin, this phrase underlies count...

13/11/2021

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11/11/2021

In the pursuit of a more equitable future, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has discovered some key ingredients: engaging underheard voices to shape priorities and direction, providing space and convening power for long-term coalition building, leveraging storytelling to create connection, and distributing quick and impactful funds that address historic disparities.

Many are joining them by sharing resources, stories, ideas and experiences on how best to build different futures where Arkansas’ hardworking households are thriving, not just surviving.

You have a place at this table, too. In fact, they can’t do it without you. Join them: https://portals.reimaginearkansas.com/fzecm35kf

01/11/2021

You've probably seen an annual report, but not like this one! The 2020 Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation annual report isn’t something you read, but a conversation you join.

It was brought to life by listening to the voices disrupting systems of injustice and exploring ideas, investments, and collaborations needed to build more just, joyful futures.

Read, listen and join the convo!

“It was a year in which that relentless pursuit of equity became real. And we were ready as a team, ready as a board, ready in our partnerships to use our voice, use our dollars, use our influence, to make change.”   Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury, CEO of Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation ☊ For th...

18/08/2021

Recent artwork by Kahlief Steele for our recent constellation kit, "Imagining a Future Where Faith is the Fuel in the Fight Against Poverty" https://bit.ly/37HPy9z

Artist Statement:

"Too many times Christians (myself included) forget that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Not the conqueror. Not a recluse. But a servant.

Hearing actionable ways that church leaders are living out true servant leadership encourages me beyond measure. The panel that inspired this work challenged me to dive into that further, and I hope that the work I created causes others to reimagine their relationship with faith as well.

Dismembered hands create an elegant portrait of a harsh truth: if hands are detached from the body, they’re useless. Framing imagery in geometric objects and textures ranging from gold foil to alabaster, I show that there is reverence to our journey – this is valuable work. A simple challenge remains – are we, as Christians, truly striving to be like Jesus? Or are we just an distorted echo?

If Christians’ goal is to truly model Jesus, we should seek to serve the 'least of these' in all we do."

13/08/2021

Congrats to the 2021 Micah Fellows Cohort! From September to May, The Micah Fellows Program will build the capacity of this powerful group of faith practitioners to catalyze economic justice and anti-poverty efforts throughout Arkansas.

Prior to this announcement, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation hosted a panel series to reflect on the role of faith in change movements in the South. We invite you to explore the constellation of voices who participated in those discussions >>> https://bit.ly/37HPy9z

Introducing the 2021 Micah Fellows Cohort From September to May, The Micah Fellows Program will build the capacity of this powerful group of faith practitioners to catalyze economic justice and anti-poverty efforts in their communities. The Program is devoted to nurturing moral leadership around ant...

30/06/2021

Regan is an inspiring young leader from Brinkley, AR (pop. 3,188). She not only has big ideas to improve the wellbeing of her peers and reading scores of the younger generations in her town, but is putting those ideas into action.

What words of encouragement do you have for Regan? What ideas have you seen work in other communities that she might benefit from incorporating? Let her know.

23/06/2021

Over the next few weeks, Reimagine Arkansas will commit $3600 to engage Arkansas-based visual artists and graphic designers in a series of campaigns designed to advance more just and joyful futures in Arkansas.

Learn more and apply!

Over the next few weeks, Reimagine Arkansas will commit $3600 to engage Arkansas-based visual artists and graphic designers in a series of campaigns designed to advance more just and joyful futures in Arkansas.

27/05/2021

The future of Arkansas is deeply tied to the future of our rural communities. Could you imagine what it could mean for ALL of us if our rural towns and neighbors led the nation in BIG ideas and BIG innovations? Check out our latest kit in partnership with the Rural Community Alliance and listen to the voices that are paving the way to make just and thriving futures a reality in our state.

Text "Rural Futures" to 479.309.8277 to join the conversation 💬

Reimagine Arkansas Conversations w/ members of the Rural Community Alliance 7 Cities/Towns 18 Voices 3 Conversations The following contains interactive audio elements. How to Listen: Move your cursor over the underlined, highlighted words and click to hear that particular piece of audio and to read....

19/04/2021

How have you been impacted by ? Please help us by filling out this COVID impact survey >>> https://bit.ly/32v3EJ4

Your responses are confidential, meaning that no one will be able to associate your name with your responses.

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation Arkansas Community Foundation United Way

06/04/2021

SNAP: Hunger is closer than you think. Arkansans can be proud when we and make sure children and families have access to the food they need to survive and thrive.

Learn more about ALICE here: https://www.aliceinar.org/

03/04/2021

Imagine if every child in Arkansas were fed, housed and healthy when they showed up at school to learn. Talk about a bright future for Arkansas.

Learn more at aliceinar.org

02/04/2021

Imagine what our communities would look like if we supported our struggling families rather than trapping them in a cycle of poverty with punitive fines and fees. Now that would be a home state to be proud of.

Interested in learning more? Check out the work of Decarcerate >>> https://www.decarceratear.org/