National Park College (NPC) welcomed Elmer Beard and the Hot Springs Dance Troupe
(HSDT) in celebration of Black History Month Thursday.
Beard is a retired educator who has devoted his life to teaching people. He is a poet,
author, former city councilman, civil rights activist, a lifelong freedom fighter,
and a longtime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP). He has helped prepare students for desegregation and challenged local businesses
to hire African Americans. He is a tireless fighter for justice. Beard shared several
of his poems from his latest collection Let Reason Roll: Race, Religion and Reflections.
HSDT performed their piece, Equity Walk. This dance was developed from things that have held the dancers back or pushed them
forward in life. From this, the students created movements and dance instructor Amy
Bramlett Turner facilitated choreography. “For me… [the dance] represents that we’re
all on a different journey, at a different point in our lives, but maybe we’re going
through the same thing as somebody else and we don’t realize it,” said Turner.
