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TEAMWORK MAKING THE
DREAM WORK
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park
Architectural Rendering by HALFF Associates
I
n 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a speech for
an assembly of Barratt Junior High School students in
Philadelphia, titled, " What is Your Life's Blueprint? " In his
speech, Dr. King encouraged his young audience to live a
life of excellence in the vocation of their choice, " as if God
Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do
it. " He said that building one's life, like building a structure,
starts with " a good, solid blueprint " , and the foundation
of this blueprint is " a deep belief in your own dignity, your
worth " .
Arkadelphia residents and visitors, community leaders will
construct MLK Park, the first of its kind in Arkansas, built in the
heart of Arkadelphia.
The MLK Park leaders have many goals for its design
at the original site of Clark County Hospital. First, as the
hospital promoted physical health and healing, the leaders
plan for this park to be instrumental in the cultural healing
of Arkadelphia and Clark County.
28 ARKADELPHIA LIFE 2022
reinforce local history by promoting gathering spaces for
all community and civic groups. Having such areas implies
ownership to residents, young and old. Most importantly, the
park will foster a belief that a strong foundation for one's life
is built by all facets of society-families, churches, schools,
neighborhoods, and businesses.
To reinforce this foundation for generations of
supports the others contributing to the content of one's
character, to borrow from Dr. King's " I Have a Dream " . As a
unique memorial to Dr. King, the MLK Park is hoping to draw
visitors through school field trips, group travel, historic, and
tourism opportunities. It is centrally located in Arkadelphia so
that it may be equally utilized by all community groups.
The $2.5 million campus, designed by Sally Horsey, architect
Another aspiration is to
with HALFF Associates, will be elliptical in shape. Outlining
the various subsections will be a quarter-mile walking path
with kiosks every so often that feature lessons on the life of
Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. Future expansion
is to eventually connect walking and bike paths already
Each one is a pillar that

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