Improving Lives and Living in Northwest Arkansas
The Omni Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology held a Spanish Language Cookout Sunday a part of a series of cookouts.
The center, along with Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, came together with the Hispanic community in Springdale to share a meal and start a conversation to inform the community about how the American Rescue Plan fund will be used.
The Omni Center is a nonprofit organization located in Fayetteville. According to the nonprofit’s website, Omni focuses on educating, empowering and connecting people in hopes of building a future that is non-violent and sustainable.
Omni director Gladys Tiffany said the cookouts were, “A education and a connection activity that was really meant to allow the public, in a district, to talk to their Justice of the peace if the Justice of the peace was willing and if they were not willing then they could at least express their thoughts in a public venue.”
Founded in 2001 by Dick Bennett with the help of close friends, they began by demonstrating against the Iraq War. The website reported its largest protest had 600 participants.
Omni has since shifted its focus to a more community-based organization and educational model according to the organization’s website.
“We did one in Fayetteville, Springdale, Elkins, West Fork, and Farmington,” Tiffany said.
The two groups planned six different cookouts that were completed on Sunday.
“We collected a lot of very good information from those cookouts that kind of gave us a good sense of what people were really seeing happening in their community,” Tiffany said, “It was really educational for us.”
The American Rescue Plan funds can be used for numerous things in the community.
Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition member Beth Coger said, “It can be used to mitigate the pandemic and the effects on the community. It can be used for household assistance, for utilities, help with mortgage payments; we have a separate rental assistance program that we are here to take applications for that. It can be used for education and healthcare.”
Omni and the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition have a difference in opinion with the court on what the funds should be used for.
Tiffany said, “We have made the point to the Quorum Court a number of times that enlarging the jail is not really the most effective way to improve the lives of people in Washington County.” 