Clinton School Official To Speak Friday In Jonesboro

Dr. Charlotte Lewellen-Williams will be the guest speaker for the North Jonesboro Neighborhood Initiative resident appreciation celebration on Friday. The theme of the Red Carpet Gala is “An Evening Among the Stars”. The evening event will recognize residents who have made contributions to the City and to NJNI.

Lewellen-Williams is Director of the Center on Community Philanthropy and associate professor of Public Health at the Clinton School of Public Service.

“The concept of community philanthropy shifts the power from a select few who may be strategically and traditionally always at the table”, Lewellen-Williams said, “and it begins to engage a broad ownership of the entire community; bringing marginalized voices to the table: Groups who, oftentimes, are not a part of the decision-making process. Community Philanthropy is very decentralized and built on the premise that change has to happen within the community and communities really have the knowledge, the expertise and understanding of what their own barriers and challenges are.“

Dr. Lewellen-Williams is a Jonesboro native and the daughter of the late Rev. Herman and Mildred Lewellen. Both were social justice advocates and deeply involved and committed to the North Jonesboro community.

“I was thrilled when Charlotte accepted the invitation to speak at our event. How appropriate to have a homegrown expert in this work with roots in North Jonesboro as the speaker for our first annual celebration,” said Emma Agnew with NJNI.

“I am looking forward to returning home and spending an evening among the stars” said Lewellen-Williams.

The Red Carpet Gala will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 7) at Centennial Hall in the Carl Reng Student Union on the A-State Campus.

Tickets are $25.00 each. For additional information, please call Emma Agnew at 870-336-7210.