Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Conversación comunitaria: Voces marshalesas
El 20 de agosto de 2026, Leyla Tore, estudiante de último año de secundaria, organizó y moderó una conversación comunitaria en el Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art de Bentonville, Arkansas. Tres voces marshalesas subieron al escenario para hablar de la cultura y la historia marshalesas, de la comunidad local aquí en el noroeste de Arkansas y de las cuestiones que rodean a la atención sanitaria y la educación.
La apertura
Los panelistas
Benetick Kabua Maddison
Executive Director / CEO, Marshallese Educational Initiative
Benetick Kabua Maddison is the Executive Director of the Marshallese Educational Initiative in Springdale, Arkansas. Born on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Maddison migrated with his family to Arkansas at the age of six. Maddison coordinates MEI programming focused on raising awareness of the nuclear testing legacy and climate change, improving educational attainment levels of Marshallese youth, promoting language access, and educating about Marshallese traditional culture. Maddison speaks regularly at the United Nations on nuclear issues and advocates for nuclear frontline communities across the globe. He works closely with international officials to identify and address needs of the Marshallese in diaspora as part of a larger project with the Human Rights Council to address nuclear justice issues.
April L. Brown, PhD
Director of Operations and co-founder, Marshallese Educational Initiative; Professor of History, Northwest Arkansas Community College
April L. Brown, PhD is the Director of Operations at the Marshallese Educational Initiative. As one of MEI’s co-founders, Brown served as the founding executive director overseeing the expansion of MEI programming. In her current position, Brown coordinates MEI’s classes and trainings, and oversees programs, including a joint project with the Ministry of Health and Human Services to bring newborn screening to the Marshall Islands. She is also a professor of history at Northwest Arkansas Community College since 2004, and currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Social Sciences. She received her PhD in history at the University of Arkansas in 2006 with a specialty in U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. Brown is currently working on a monograph about the Marshallese Diaspora in Arkansas.
Dr. Sheldon Riklon
Family Medicine Physician, UAMS; Peter O. Kohler M.D. Endowed Chair in Health Disparities
Dr. Sheldon Riklon joined the UAMS Northwest faculty in August 2016. He splits his time between the Family Medicine Residency Program, the UAMS North Street Clinic, the UAMS Institute of Community Health Innovation, and the Community Clinic in Springdale. Dr. Riklon is one of only three Marshallese doctors practicing in the U.S. He came to UAMS from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, where he served as family medicine clerkship director and as a faculty member in the UH Family Medicine Residency Program. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He is the inaugural holder of the Peter O. Kohler M.D. Endowed Chair in Health Disparities at UAMS and the 2021 recipient of the Dr. Edith Irby Jones Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Lifetime Achievement Award.
Leyla Tore
Founder, Marshallese Voices; Senior, Haas Hall Academy Bentonville, Class of 2027
Leyla Tore is a senior at Haas Hall Academy Bentonville and the founder of Marshallese Voices, a project focused on sharing Marshallese history, culture, and experiences. Leyla’s involvement with the Marshallese community began through academic research on barriers to healthcare and education in Northwest Arkansas. Since then, Leyla has founded a weekly academic support program for Marshallese middle and high school students and continued her work through community education and advocacy. Her journalism piece about the Marshallese community has won an American Voices nomination and a Gold Key award in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards of 2026. Originally from Turkey, Leyla has lived in seven different countries until she and her family settled here in Northwest Arkansas in 2021. She is an avid learner of languages, and speaks four fluently.
También presentes
- The Honorable Anjanette AnjelConsul General of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Marcina LangrineOperations Coordinator, Marshallese Educational Initiative
- Marino MorrisMarshallese Educational Initiative
Cartas de reconocimiento
Olivia WaltonChairperson, Crystal Bridges Museum of American ArtGood evening, and welcome to Crystal Bridges.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you tonight, but I wanted to send my warmest wishes for this conversation. Northwest Arkansas is home to the largest Marshallese population in the United States — a connection that spans more than 6,000 miles, yet lives right here among our neighbors. Crystal Bridges exists not just as an art museum, but as a gathering place for important community moments like this one and a place where all feel welcome.
I’m especially grateful to Leyla Tore for bringing this conversation to life, and to our panelists — Dr. Sheldon Riklon, Benetick Maddison, and Dr. April Brown — for sharing their perspectives from healthcare, education, and community advocacy.
Thank you all for being here tonight and enjoy this important conversation.
Stephanie OrmanMayor of BentonvilleGood evening, everyone,
The strength of a community is measured in part by how well it understands the experiences of the people within it. Education and health care are two places where that understanding matters deeply. Both shape opportunity, well-being, and the ability of individuals and families to thrive. Strong systems also depend on understanding how people experience them, where barriers exist, and where there is more to learn. That is what makes tonight’s conversation important.
Marshallese families are an important part of Northwest Arkansas, and their experiences offer valuable insight into how education and health care are working across our region. I want to thank Dr. April Brown, Benetick Maddison, and Dr. Sheldon Riklon for sharing their knowledge and perspective and helping all of us better understand those experiences.
I also want to recognize Leyla Tore. After nearly two years of research, she chose to create an opportunity for people with direct knowledge and experience to lead the conversation. That kind of curiosity, listening, and thoughtful engagement matters.
As Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas continue to grow, understanding how people experience the institutions and opportunities around them will only become more important. Conversations like this help us listen more closely, learn from one another, and strengthen the community we share.
Thank you for being here tonight and for being part of that conversation.
En las noticias
Las redacciones de 40/29 News y KNWA/FOX24 cubrieron la velada.
