She was born on April 04, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri however; Dr. Angelou spent her early childhood in the rural town of Stamps, Arkansas. Dr. Angelou endured the bitterness and stench of racism in the South.  Her innocence was stolen from her when she was seven years old. The retaliation she witnessed by her uncles toward her rapist left a scar in her life. She refused to speak for five years and found refuge through poetry. 

A voice that once lay dormant rose to a frequency that broke down barriers in the Civil Rights movement.  She loved the arts and learned to dance and sing on a professional level. When I was in high school, I remember listening to her cite her poem “Still I Rise.” Through time and space, those words have remained an inspiration to rise out of any unpleasant situation.

In January of 2021, Barbie Mattel released a new barbie doll in the image of Dr. Maya Angelou, which sold out online within the first five days. Moreover, the “Maya Angelou Doll” is part of the toymaker’s “Inspiring Women Series” collection. Dr. Angelou once said that, “You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgotten – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” Despite her passing in 2014, her essence continues to live on. Rest in peace, Dr. Maya Angelou.

If you would like to purchase the “Maya Angelou Doll” from Barbie Mattel, the link is below.

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Watkins moved to Los Angeles, California in 2016 to pursue her music career. While living in LA, Watkins gained a new support system and better opportunities. When Watkins isn’t recording or performing, she’s a humanitarian. Watkins “Glow Movement” is a non-profit organization that encourages people to excel in life and become their best selves. Having a positive platform is one of the reasons why Watkins has gained a large support system throughout the years. The path she took could inspire other Arkansas musicians who want to expand their horizons.

Madison Watkins can’t be labeled as just a singer, she can also play the piano, guitar, reach high notes and dance. To get her name out, Watkins released song covers on YouTube to hits like “Light up the Sky” by Christina Aguilera and “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake. After a couple of years, Watkins signed with Mad Wat Productions, surpassing all expectations placed upon her. 

In March 2016, Watkins released her first EP “Glow,” which reached the top 20 album chart on iTunes. In July, Watkins made her first appearance on season 11 of “America’s Got Talent.” Watkins received a standing ovation after her “Let It Go” performance by James Bay. Although she didn’t make it to the quarter-finals, Watkins did not give up on her music career. In April 2017, Watkins performed the national anthem at the LA Clippers playoffs. In 2018 and 2019, Watkins released music videos to her notable singles “Movin,” “Crazy,” and “Curls,” gaining over 10,000 views per video. 

Madison Watkins released her most recent EP “Rooted,” Sept. 25, 2020. On Oct. 4, Watkins released the music video to her new single “Worthy,” which has accumulated over 2,000 views despite COVID-19. Watkins has made many achievements throughout her career. Notably, during the pandemic, Watkins has been working on new music and new content for social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube. To stay updated, follow Watkins on Instagram at Madison Watkins.

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In 2020, Dr. Anne Williamson’s success is evidence that the Women’s Rights Movement held a century ago was a massive success. The nationwide housing policy expert, Williamson is thrilled about her new position at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“It’s a real honor to join such a talented faculty and a school with marvelous programming,” Williamson said. “The faculty has a strong commitment to community engagement and to issues of social equity. I would like to build on the excellent work that is already happening so that we can be part of the solutions for issues facing communities in the state and the country. We hope to serve as an example of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education and how scholars can be strong collaborators in the ł¦´ÇłľłľłÜ˛Ôľ±łŮ˛â.”

Dr. Williamson is more than a director, she’s a woman with expertise on a mission to massive success. The vision of Williamson’s plan as the new director of the School of Public Affairs is revolutionary. Williamson has led more than 20 externally funded public service research projects such as the HOPE VI evaluations and has also used her expertise to provide important information about housing discrimination in the U.S. Federal Court. The Social Science Quarterly and Urban Affairs Review are two of Williams notable journal publications contributions.

Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education says Williamson brings with her leadership experience and expertise in both public and private sectors that help the University.

“She is adept at working in multidisciplinary teams on pressing community issues such as fair housing and youth homelessness,” Dr. Estes said. “She is lauded as an exceptional teacher. Her visionary leadership will enhance our ability to collaborate with our community and city as we educate future leaders.”   

Women who are pursing a degree in Political Science or have a minor in Non-Profit Leadership Studies at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ t Little Rock can look at Williamson’s success story as a guide for their career after graduating college. Before becoming a director, she earned her Ph.D. in Public Administration and was a prominent scholar are several universities such as The University of Texas at San Antonio. Williamson has accomplished many achievements since the beginning of her career as a director and her skills in housing policy, tax policy, public budgeting and community development are superior.

“All of these areas are interrelated,” she said. “I look at how states have made use of federal resources for affordable housing, participation in public meetings by historically underrepresented groups, and effective means for community collaboration to address complex issues like public student homelessness.”

Arkansas student homeless rates have increased amid a global pandemic, which is why Williamson is implementing the “Impact KCK” program in the city of Little Rock. This program was a massive success in Kansas at lowering student homelessness rates and will be beneficial to the ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ of Little Rock homeless students seeking an education.

“Impact KCK began in the poorest of the 105 counties in Kansas,” Williamson said. “By using effective collaboration and social service innovations to reduce poverty and housing instability, this has resulted in 95 percent housing stability in the families with children served. That was important before the pandemic. Now, it is tough to calculate the amount of people who are facing housing instability or homelessness.”

Applied research, non-profit organizations, and public service are a big part of the School of Public Affairs’s main focus, which makes Williamson the best leader to be chosen as the new director of the School of Public Affairs at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ of Little Rock.

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Little Rock native, Freddie Gladney, who is professionally known as “Bankroll Freddie” is one of the hottest and most-streamed music artists from Arkansas.

Bankroll Freddie was born in Helena and moved to Conway at a young age for better opportunities. At the age of 25, Bankroll Freddie is one of the most successful public figures from Arkansas and has opened the door for other Arkansas music artists to obtain a major record label deal. In June 2019, Bankroll Freddie was discovered by Atlanta Native, CEO Pierre “P” Thomas, after releasing his “Act Up Challenge” to current label mates, The City Girls hit song “Act Up”.

In Sept. 2019, Bankroll Freddie made history by becoming the first Arkansas rapper signed to a major record label. Signing to Quality Control Music and expanding his brand in Atlanta are the best decisions Bankroll Freddie has made so far in his career. Ranking in over 200K monthly listeners and 8 million streams on Spotify, Bankroll Freddie was born to be a star. In October 2019, Bankroll Freddie released the video to his hit song “Drip Like This” from his first mixtape “Saved By The Bales” and gained over 30 million views on YouTube in less than a year, making him the most viewed and highly requested rapper from Arkansas.

In Nov., Bankroll Freddie performed his hit single “Drip Like This” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, opening up for the highly anticipated rematch between Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz. 2019 was just the beginning for Bankroll Freddie, judging by his accomplishments and work ethics, he’s just getting started. Back in Jan., Bankroll Freddie released his second mixtape “From Trap To Rap” and showed versatility in his sound, hits like “Street Love” and “Backend” went viral on social media platforms during the global pandemic. In March, Bankroll Freddie was featured in XXL magazine as a candidate for the 2020 Freshman cover, which is a major accomplishment in the Hip-Hop community.

Expressing his struggles and success in music has allowed Bankroll Freddie to gain fans from around the world and more international publicity. Despite COVID-19, Bankroll Freddie is still booked for performances, interviews and collaborations. In July, Bankroll Freddie recorded his first interview with “VladTV” and discussed numerous topics such as his upcoming project, signing to Quality Control, childhood experiences, finances, relationships, living in Arkansas and the death of former label mate, Lil Marlo. Bankroll Freddie has collaborated with notable music artists in the music industry such as Moneybagg Yo, Young Dolph, Renni Rucci, Lil Baby and YFN Lucci.

By collaborating with different music artists with a large fan base, Bankroll Freddie’s social media followers, radio requests and YouTube views have increased tremendously. In just one year, Bankroll Freddie has raised the bar and accumulated prominent achievements in the music industry, which is impressive and inspirational to all Arkansas music artists who aspire to have a successful career in the music industry.

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Conway, AR—The LR Trojans began their 2020 Cross Country season at the Central Arkansas Open, presented by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield. Due to COVID-19, social distancing rules were enforced, teams wore face masks until the starter was ready and starting boxes were spaced out during the race.

Freshman Spencer Cardinal led the Trojan men, finishing 8th place with a time of 16:04:8. Junior Carter Reynolds came in 14th place, finishing with a time of 16:19. Freshman Aaron Soltmann finished 17th with a time of 16:37.8. With a total time of 1:23:14 and a score of 63, the LR Trojan men placed 3rd place.

Freshman Mia Patria led the Trojan women, placing 12th place with a time of 19:43.1. Not too far from Patria, senior Vianney Sanchez finished 18th place with a time of 20:18.6 while senior Kimberly Boni placed 20th with a time of 20:26.7. The LR Trojan women placed third place with a score of 80 and time of 1:42:28.

Despite falling short to Arkansas State and Central Baptist, Cardinal and Patria dominated Philander Smith in endurance leading their team to score 3rd place at the Governor’s I-40 Showdown. The LR Trojan men and women began their 2020 Cross Country season off at a good start by placing in the top three spots in both races at the Central Arkansas Open.

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