Model Citizen: Rally & Register Event

INTERFORM is proud to share our Model Citizen: Rally & Register event in partnership with For AR People, that took place on September 18th 2022. This event highlighted information and opportunities involving voter registration and education, as well as open forum discussions centered on human rights. As an organization dedicated to community activation, INTERFORM believes this was an accessible and approachable way to bring attention to the importance of democratic engagement, while also providing opportunities for local non-profit organizations to further their causes.

HOUSING EQUITY IN NWA

Northwest Arkansas has quickly become one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S. and has even been referred to as “the next Austin” according to a November article in the Washington Post. With the growing population of transplants, comes a growing demand for affordable housing. With panelists Monique Pierre, CEO of Partners for Better Housing and Henry Washington, Real Estate investor and CEO of Independence Realty Group, and realtor Chloe Hyman of Sudar Group, Ro dives into the importance of improving housing opportunities.

Panelists

NA’TOSHA DE’VON
Na’Tosha De’Von is a native of Chicago IL raised in Mississippi. She holds an MFA in acting and a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication. She is a working television and film actor as well as a published poet. Na’Tosha serves on many different artist and activist driven boards within the community. Through her platform she believes that the premise of her art is to expose and heal.
CHLOE HYMAN
Chloe Hyman is a Northwest Arkansas REALTOR who has a military and corporate background and transitioned into real estate to fulfill a lifelong passion. She’s resided in seven states and understands the intricacies of the relocation process. Whether you’re purchasing your very first or 100th home, Chloe is known for having a client-focused approach to getting you to the closing table.

ARKANSAS ABORTION BAN: understanding the medical science & the politics

INTERFORM communications manager Ro Bailey leads a conversation with Dr. Paulson and Dr. Lisa Corriga on the topic of the State of the Union on the Overturn of Roe. 

PANELISTS

DR. KATHLEEN PAULSON
Dr. Kathleen Paulson grew up in Northwest Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas. She received her MD from the Ohio State University, then completed her Ob/Gyn residency at the University of Missouri. Dr. Paulson has been practicing medicine in Fayetteville since 2000. She speaks Spanish fluently.
DR. LISA CORRIGAN
Dr. Lisa M. Corrigan is a Professor of Communication, Director of the Gender Studies Program at the University of Arkansas. Her first book, Prison Power: How Prison Influenced the Movement for Black Liberation (2016: University Press of Mississippi), won the 2017 Diamond Anniversary Book Award and the 2017 African American Communication and Culture Division Outstanding Book Award, both from the National Communication Association. Her book, Black Feelings: Race and Affect in the Long Sixties (2020: University Press of Mississippi) was the Honorable Mention for the Marie Hochmuth Nichols Book Prize in Public Address Scholarship. Her newest edited volumed, #MeToo: A Rhetorical Zeitgeist (Routledge, 2021) examines the #MeToo moment as a crucible for political conversations about consent and violence. Finally, she co-hosts the popular podcast, Lean Back: Critical Feminist Conversations, with Laura Weiderhaft, and she has worked as a political consultant for over 25 years.

THE CROWN ACT

In 2022, black Americans are still fighting to wear their hair LITERALLY the way it grows naturally. Whether it’s locs or afros, some schools and employers refer to natural black hair as “unprofessional.” Ro moderates a panel with professional stylist and Director of hair for NWAFW Montinique Davis, professional actress and poet NaTosha Devon and professional barber Blake Terry to discuss why Arkansas should pass the legislation of the crown act.

PANELISTS

MONTINIQUE DAVIS
Montinique Davis is an Arkansas-based stylist, located in the heart of Bentonville. She’s been a cosmetologist for 20+ years as well as an educator for the past 16 years. Montinique has worked with Northwest Arkansas Fashionweek for the past 7 years with her current role as Director of Hair for the past 4 years. Montinique has a passion for enhancing her client’s natural beauty, whether it’s natural hair care, cutting, color, extensions, perms, or relaxers. She thrives in the the fast-paced, backstage life of photo shoots, editorials, short films and fashion shows. Whether it’s executing impromptu updos, simple beach waves or avant garde looks, Montinique’s extensive knowledge and experience make her a vital asset to the beauty industry.
MONIQUE L. PIERRE
Monique L. Pierre, the CEO of Partners for Better Housing, has spent over two decades of her career as a housing and community development professional, advocating for and developing safe, decent, affordable and attainable housing. As a proponent of equitable communities, she began her career working in public housing to provide resident services and apply her urban planning skills to the redevelopment efforts of large public housing sites across the City of Detroit. In her current role, Monique lends her knowledge of organizational development, housing and community redevelopment, and funding optimization to establish the professional administrative framework to grow Partners for Better Housing from a volunteer, grass-roots endeavor to a regional housing development entity. Housing is her passion, and she remains poised and committed to developing quality healthy communities for modest- and moderate-income households.

LEGISLATIVE WINS FOR GUN CONTROL: WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE & HOW WE GET THEM

Join Ellen Weintraut from the NWA Chapter of Moms Demand Action and Gennie Diaz from For AR People in discussion on the topic of legislative wins and what legislating around the topic of gun violence in Arkansas has looked like over the last several years. Conversation will be moderated by Gennie Diaz.

PANELISTS

GENNIE DIAZ
Gennie Diaz is founder and executive director of For AR People where she works daily to connect the dots between policy and people’s lives and empower Arkansans to take ownership of their government. A California transplant with deep roots in the Arkansas Ozarks, she attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where she fell in love with the Boston Mountains. Gennie has been a proud Fayettevillian for 20 years.
ELLEN WEINTRAUT
Ellen Weintraut is here on behalf of Moms Demand Action. She currently serves as a local group lead for the Fayetteville area. Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We are moms, dads, teachers, students, and anyone who wants common sense laws to protect us. Ellen has been involved with Moms as a volunteer for over six years. She works as an attorney in Fayetteville and is the mom to two elementary aged boys.
SENATOR GREG LEDING
Greg Leding has served in the Arkansas General Assembly since 2011, first as a member of the Arkansas House, and as a senator since 2019. He lives in Fayetteville with his wife and daughter.

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