State Sen. Dan Sullivan drew around 35 people to a town hall meeting to recap the Arkansas 95th General Assembly. Topics included Social Justice and Equality Day, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), disaster relief, and education.
The Town Hall was hosted alongside Robert Stienbuch, Professor of Law at the William H. School of Law at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Stienbuch did not answer many questions because crowd members interrupted, saying, "We did not vote for you."
"We want to hear from Sen. Sullivan," Kimberly Warmth said during the event.
Around 20 minutes into the two-hour event, Sen. Sullivan requested the Jonesboro Police Department's presence during a heated discussion about DEI. After arriving, JPD was in attendance for the remainder of the event.
"If it's going to be this way, I want JPD here," Sullivan said.
Social Justice and Equality Day
A large portion of the event was discussed post-Sen. Sullivan made this in response to the City of Jonesboro holding free regular-route bus rides for Social Justice and Equality Day on April 25.
A proclamation was read from the mayor's office at the event, declaring April 25 as Social Justice and Equality Day in Jonesboro.
The proclamation read, "The City of Jonesboro stands united in its commitment to promote fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all individuals, striving for a society where individuals are treated fairly and have equal opportunities."
Sullivan's SB520, now Act 747, was signed into law during the legislative session. The law prohibits "diversity, equity, and inclusion of offices, officers, policies, or practices in local government." The law goes into effect Aug. 5, 2025.
Sullivan stated in his post, "Why is the city using your tax dollars to honor a device concept such as social justice and equality?" Which sparked some online debate, which accumulated around 122 comments at the time of the event.
Sullivan said he contacted several City of Jonesboro officials, including Mayor Harold Copenhaver, about the bus rides. He has not yet heard back from the mayor's office.
"I called and talked to four different city council members. Why are we giving free rides? How many did we give? What's the cause, and why are we honoring this group? Nobody knew," Sullivan said.
One of the guest speakers at the April 25 event, Shamal Carter, President of the Craighead County Chapter of the NAACP, also attended the town hall. Sullivan had previously described Carter's comments as partisan.
Carter defended his statements during the Town Hall.
"Everybody was included. It didn't have anything to do with race, anything to do with party, or with gender. It was inclusive. You (Sullivan) went to social media and made sure you pointed out it was party-affiliated and had nothing to do with that," Carter said.
Carter also added that anyone can go back and listen to his statements on KLEK's Facebook page.
"We have to have uncomfortable conversations," Carter said.
Later, it was asked if Sullivan believed the City of Jonesboro violated Act 747 and if he planned to pursue action. He did not reply.
Higher Education
An Arkansas State University Student, John Thompson, asked Sullivan about SB3, now Act 116, which ends DEI in public schools and higher education.
"I know me, and you may never agree on the equity part, but I just want to get some reassurance that you did not vote for that bill because you didn't agree with diversity and inclusion on college campuses like Arkansas State," Thompson said.
Before Sullivan answered, Thompson also extended an invitation to come to the Black Student Association (BSA) and the Multicultural Center to talk and meet with students.
"I've talked to the chancellor multiple times on this issue. He started a program, I think, two years ago. Everybody's welcome at Arkansas State," Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the bill mirrors what the Supreme Court says. Sullivan also said he would meet with the BSA at A-State.
Thompson added that Sullivan is a republican lawmaker, and there are republican caucuses.
"So you understand that people sometimes meet together because they have common values and shared culture, and they like to experience those things amongst themselves, and they would like a safe space," Thompson said.
Thompson expressed concern about groups like the BSA not being allowed on college campuses because of Act 116.
"I know what the bill says," Sullivan said. "It says you can't give preferential treatment. So if the students want to have an organization, they can."
Thompson asked if he could be reassured that nobody would take action against the university for considering groups such as BSA to be giving preferential treatment. Sullivan said he couldn't do that.
Tornado Relief
Another concern raised was storm relief for Craighead County after the March tornadoes. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders requested federal emergency aid from President Donald Trump but was denied. Sanders and Arkansas legislators are working to appeal the decision.
Sullivan said a caucus meeting to discuss disaster relief was set for Monday, May 5. The meeting is closed, and there is no public information. He also added that he would update social media to inform constituents about disaster relief decisions.
"We're going to talk about the emergency fund," Sullivan said.
A stream of the whole town hall by KLEK is available on Facebook.
