Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County Announces Second Online Community Conversation

In partnership with the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, the Committee for Justice, Equality and Fairness will present the second of a series of online community conversations surrounding social justice in Walton County. 

The public is invited to participate in this second conversation that will include Sheriff Michael Adkinson, Jr. taking place Aug. 5, at 6 p.m. 

Sheriff Adkinson is an 18-year law enforcement veteran, having previously worked with the Florida Department of Corrections, Bureau of Parole, The Tallahassee Police Department, and the DeFuniak Springs Police Department, including as City Marshall/Chief of Police from 2005-2008. In November 2008, Adkinson was elected as Walton County Sheriff, taking office Jan. 1, 2009.

The format of the conversation with Sheriff Adkinson will be a panel discussion that includes Rev. Raymond Jackson, President of NAACP Branch 5486; Rev. Tyrone Broadus, Vice President of NAACP Branch 5486; community facilitators Lewis Jennings and Sabu Williams; and Mike Bowden, Chair of Committee for Justice, Equality and Fairness. 

“Following the 2018 referendum that supported maintaining a Confederate flag on the grounds of Walton County courthouse, the Committee for Justice, Equality and Fairness decided to host a series of discussions that would allow frank conversations about the impact of racism on citizens’ lives,” said Bowden. “Our first conversation with DeFuniak Springs City Marshall James Hurley went very well, and we appreciate Walton County’s law enforcement leaders taking the time to engage our community and answer important questions.”

The conversations are hosted online by the Cultural Arts Alliance via the Zoom platform and include a discussion among the panelists and Sheriff Adkinson followed by a question and answer session between attendees and the panel. 

“The Cultural Arts Alliance believes the arts are a vehicle for social change and that facilitating these important conversations is timely and necessary,” said Cultural Arts Alliance Executive Director Jennifer Steele. “Our goal is to create an environment for constructive dialogue that bypasses politics and finds solutions to real issues in our community that affect the lives of our fellow citizens.”

To participate in the Aug. 5 conversation, register online at culturalartsalliance.com before 5:30 p.m., the day of the event. Attendees will need to download the Zoom app on their phone or computer in order to join the conversation. Participants will be emailed Zoom login information upon registration completion.