Friends, 

The City of Little Rock's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity program serves as both a reflection of Dr. King's life of service above self and a commitment to our internal why - to unite, grow and transform Little Rock.

It was an honor to unite with local faith leaders, elected officials, city team members and hundreds of Little Rock residents last week at Saint Mark Baptist Church. We honored Dr. King's life and legacy through inspirational music, prayers and reflections. 

Our featured speaker was Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Pastor Haynes encouraged us to use Dr. King's commitment to equity and social justice as an example for doing what's right, no matter the costs.

If you were unable to join us for the Unity Service, I encourage you to watch the uplifting program on the City of Little Rock's YouTube channel. 

The annual MLK Unity Service is always a great reminder of how far we've come toward meeting the challenges set out by Dr. King ... and how far we still have to go. I hope all of us were able to take the time last week to recommit ourselves to doing the work required to make Little Rock a better, more equitable place for every resident.

I appreciate these program participants for being part of the 2025 MLK Unity Service: Dr. Haynes, our host pastor, Dr. Phillip L. Pointer, Sr.; Rev. Cesar Ortega of CityServe Arkansas; the Philander Smith University Collegiate Choir; Little Rock School District Superintendent Dr. Jermall Wright; Rev. Brandon Barnard of Fellowship Bible Church; Rev. George Shears III, senior pastor of New Hope Baptist Church; Dr. Preston Clegg and Rev. Brittany Stillwell, both of Second Baptist Church-Downtown; Rev. Mark DeYmaz, founding pastor of Mosaic Church; Elder Ronnie Miller Yow, senior pastor of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church; Dr. Dwight D. Townsend, pastor of Longley Baptist Church; Pastor Danita Waller-Paige of St. James United Methodist Church of Pine Bluff; Dr. Maurice Watson, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church; and the combined choirs of Saint Mark, Longley, Second and New Hope Baptist churches.

This program was one of countless events across our City that were set aside to honor and remember Dr. King and his life's work. 

One longstanding tradition is the Little Rock NAACP's MLK Day Marade. This was the Marade's 38th year. And, as a son of this City, I was humbled and proud to be able to participate once again.

The opportunity to meet with residents who are byproducts of Dr. King's legacy and dream was a valuable and rewarding reminder of why we celebrate MLK Day every year.

The City of Little Rock was successful once again in its efforts to earn national recognition and secure funding for innovative projects that will improve the quality of life for our residents. Last week, Little Rock was one of just seven cities to be awarded a DollarWise Innovation Grant from the United States Conference of Mayors.

Little Rock was awarded the $10,000 DollarWise grant so that we can enhance our Municipal ID program. An ID issued by the City of Little Rock provides an additional level of safety and security to the ID holder and allows for access to medical, banking and other services that require identification.

At $10, it is also an affordable way for someone to establish his or her identity.

The DollarWise grant will help fund expansion and enhancement of the Municipal ID program, which was started in 2018. Little Rock and other cities earned the grant awards for programs, like Municipal ID, that improve economic mobility efforts. 

DollarWise is the U.S. Conference of Mayors' official economic mobility campaign, and it is intended to help residents of underserved communities to thrive economically.

To learn more about Little Rock's successful Municipal ID program (including details on eligibility requirements), visit our website.

• The Little Rock Board of Directors will set the agenda for its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 4 p.m. in the Board Room at City Hall, 500 W. Markham St. All board meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock Facebook and YouTube pages.
• The City's Public Works Department will host open-forum public hearings today (Monday, Jan. 27) and Thursday, Jan. 30, to give residents an opportunity to discuss upcoming infrastructure projects. The meeting today is at Dunbar Community Center, 1001 W. 16th St., regarding drainage work on East 39th Street in Ward 1. That meeting starts at 6 p.m. On Thursday, the public is invited to a meeting at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1818 Reservoir Road, to learn more about plans for drainage improvements along Teton Forest Drive in Ward 4. Thursday's meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.
• The Little Rock Police Department will host a quarterly meeting to update the public on crime statistics and information pertinent to crime prevention on Thursday, Jan. 30, at LRPD's Southwest Station, 6401 Baseline Road. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.