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The Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission traveled to the Non-Violence Economic Conference in Miami, Florida in August 2021. KASU reports details from the conference and how the Commission is working to implement the work of Dr. King in the state.

Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior Commission Learns Nonviolence Economics

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For KASU News, I’m Johnathan Reaves. Delegates from the Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior Commission are working through training that is called nonviolence economics. Nonviolence economics is designed to understand the economic interest of the community as a whole and establish a fair balance between individual and community interests. I spoke with Florida State Representative Dr. James Bush. Bush has worked directly with the Florida MLK Institute and assisted in the training of the Commission. Bush explains a little more about nonviolence economics.

“Nonviolence affects all areas of life. When you talk about economics, this is what ensures that dollars are provided to share in the American dream. Economics must be understood that everyone has the same chance and opportunity for the same opportunities in life.”

He says the goal for the Arkansas Martin Luther King Junior Commission should be to educate lawmakers, state and local officials, and even young people on the goals to working toward a fair and equal economy for all Arkansans.

“As Dr. King would say, ‘We are all caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny, and what affects one will directly affect the other indirectly and we are made to live with each other because of the interrelated structure of reality’. It is important society gets involved especially the youth, because they then understand how society works and they will be able to appreciate the differences of individuals in society. Dr. King was working toward the beloved community where brothers and sisters worked and lived together in harmony.”

The training includes looking at questions, such as how can the concept of nonviolence be interjected into the circumstances of economic conflict and injustice? The training has been looking at nonviolence social change strategies and social dynamics. Participants have also been learning about an Act that President Clinton signed that is called the National Economic Security and Reformation Act, which is on the books. The public is generally not aware of the act, but participants have been learning about the act and how to make the information available to leaders in the four congressional districts. The NESARA Act would, among other things, increase benefits to senior citizens, restores financial privacy, abolishes income tax, and makes economies more equal. The Florida MLK Institute says they have been doing research on the act and the different aspects of how to work toward a more equal economic society. Tomorrow, we will talk to some of the delegates who have learned about nonviolence economics. For KASU news, I’m Johnathan Reaves in Miami.

Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.