Alfred Carroll Ministries will host the first in a series of Right to Read events at noon Dec. 7 in the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library, 600 Main St.
The event will feature three authors with Pine Bluff roots: The Rev. Fernando Kittrell, Vivian Carroll-Jones and Ulanda Arnett.
Each author will provide a brief book overview and have their books on hand for sale. Refreshments will be served. The event is free to the public, according to a news release.
KITTRELL
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Rev. Fernando Kittrell’s latest book is titled “The Agony and Glory of Pursuing God.” Kittrell publishes a podcast at FernandoKittrell@Bridgecrossers1.
Kittrell, a pastor, counselor, public speaker, author and life coach, is also an Army veteran and founder of Bridge Crossers Solutions LLC. He was born in Little Rock and spent many summers in Pine Bluff with his grandmother and extended family before his parents and siblings moved to Philadelphia.
Recently he relocated to Austin, Texas, to serve as pastor of Counseling Ministries at Real Life Church. Kittrell is known as the “Mental Health Pastor,” according to the release.
“My heart is to help individuals cross the bridges in their lives through my ground-breaking approach to mental health support, the Ministry of Mental Health,” he said.
CARROLL-JONES
Vivian Carroll-Jones has three published books: “Echoes of Praise,” “Civil Rights Memoirs of a Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Native” and “If I Hold My Peace.” She now resides in Little Rock.
Carroll-Jones was born in Pine Bluff. She is the is the seventh of 10 siblings. Carroll-Jones was an avid participant in Pine Bluff’s Civil Rights Movement. She participated in sit-ins at Woolworths and McDonald’s and spent a few hours in county jail. In 1963 at age 15, she attended the first March on Washington. She is a graduate of Southeast High School and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, according to the release.
Carroll-Jones, a public-school educator, nurse, entrepreneur and author, is referred to by some as the “Mother of Pine Bluff Civil Rights.”
ARNETT
Ulanda Arnett’s latest book, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Purpose” is written for, “the one that knows there is something greater.” She seeks to guide the reader into finding their purpose. She is passionate about helping improve the wealth gap in underserved communities.
She is a 2002 agriculture business graduate of UAPB and earned her master’s degree in agriculture of economics at the University of Arkansas in 2003. An entrepreneur, she owns and operates events and interior designs company Posh Inspirations.
She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She has spent more than 12 years in corporate America where she worked in areas of human resources. She was selected in the 2010 class of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Business Leaders to Watch and was named among 2012’s Business Women of the Year.
Vivian Carroll-Jones
Ulanda Arnett