Pine Bluff Rising would like to introduce itself as a 501(c)(3) Arkansas not for profit corporation that was formed to transform ideas into action. We are not beholden to anything excepting our ideals and our vision: to realize a better future for the City of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. We believe everyone has something to contribute to their community whether by capital, personal initiative or just their own two hands. Pine Bluff Rising is sponsoring summit meetings at the Convention Center to inspire the art of the possible through positive communication and individual engagement, which strengthens the social and economic fabric of our treasured City.
Some have asked if Pine Bluff Rising is a part of the “Go Forward Pine Bluff” plan and it is not. As we understand, Go Forward Pine Bluff received a generous grant from Simmons Bank to help fund over 100 dedicated citizens from across Pine Bluff to spend a year generating an actionable plan for improvement. We support the plan, not because it is the only option to revitalize Pine Bluff, but because it is an important and thoughtful start of something bigger than all of us.
Go Forward is a structured, tax-payer supported improvement program. If passed, we believe it will create tangible benefits for the city. However, Pine Bluff Rising is a grass roots, individual and community-inspired forum for sharing ideas, developing the next generation of leaders, and inspiring action. We need both strategies and action to create the momentum for more significant wins in partnership with the State, Federal Government and national philanthropic sectors to benefit Pine Bluff in a lasting, meaningful way.
Pine Bluff has significant social and economic challenges. Racial discord is part of the narrative, but it should not be the only narrative that gets a voice. Issues of economic disparity, lack of opportunity and lack of hope are human issues. The negative feedback loop of incarceration, violence, and addiction also require our mindful attention. There are cities across Arkansas mostly white, and some that are mostly black, but both are suffering under the burden and injustice of poverty. Poverty is an equal opportunity predator.
Without hope, organization and action, every new initiative feels like “business as usual” and for some, criticism can be an inexpensive and comforting exercise to soothe their well-earned pessimism. Pine Bluff Rising is creating business as “unusual” because it is of, by, and for the people. It will succeed because the people of Pine Bluff want it to succeed. Every person who contributes in a positive way to the betterment of this City is Pine Bluff Rising.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Talk is cheap. Action and results are everything. This movement had just over 50 people attend its first meeting in December. It then had over 100 people attend a gathering in January and now we expect over a thousand to gather this Thursday at 6:30pm at the Convention Center. In these short few months, ideas from those meetings have generated some profoundly important outcomes: Plans for a Union Pacific quiet zone downtown, we’ve persuaded Uber to formally open its services in Pine Bluff, we’ve pointed a spotlight on important successes non-profits are having to recruit mentors and we saw the launching of the JobShare app.
This week’s gathering will announce the preservation work committed at the Pines Hotel, new industry recruitment actions by the Alliance for Jefferson County, updates from Mayor Washington, UAPB Chancellor Alexander and the Chief’s of the Fire and Police Departments. Important neighborhood clean-up initiatives will be announced along with educational and non-profit updates.
The UAPB Mass Communications department is sponsoring a new student social media editorial board chaired by LaTonya Richardson to document success stories. Lastly, we will be profiling crowdrise.com as an effective funding channel for non-profit and neighborhood projects. All this progress came from just two small meetings.
Can you imagine what will happen when there are a thousand people inspired to bring their best ideas and then, help make them possible through individual action and accountability? Can you imagine what will happen with 5,000? Every significant movement requires broad participation of citizens with shared values and a shared sense of hope that change is finally happening. And it is! Go Forward Pine Bluff will add to this momentum and as hope is restored, businesses will increase their investment and the State and Federal Government will become more supportive
To quote Mayor Washington at her inauguration: “When we love our city, we are committed to it, we engage with it, we care for it; we give our best to it. Let’s RISE UP! Yes, Rise Up together to make Pine Bluff the best city that this world has ever seen. Once we start rising
We’ll Rise up.
Rise like the day.
We’ll Rise unafraid.
And we’ll do it a thousand times again.
Rise up Pine Bluff Rise up!”
The next summit meeting will be at 6:30pm on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at the Convention Center and will feature entertainment from the On Call Band!
Please consider it an act of civic pride and public service to attend this meeting. Please encourage our youth to attend—hope lives in our children’s future. Everything we do is about them and they are the most important stakeholders. You will be entertained, you will be inspired and you will be committed to join our fellow citizens in this movement.
Thank you,
Pine Bluff Rising!