Did Martin Luther King Jr. achieve his dream?
When the British Broadcasting Corp. set out to answer that question, it turned to Dr. John Kirk, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock history professor and host of Arkansas Moments on KUAR public radio.
This summer, Kirk, who serves as Donaghey distinguished professor of history and department chair at UALR, collaborated with the BBC on its new web display chronicling King’s life, struggles and accomplishments.
“I supplied the scholarly knowledge and expertise, and the BBC people did an excellent job in designing the website and collecting visual materials, such as photographs and videos, from their extensive catalog,” Kirk said.
Kirk has written numerous books on King, and he has composed articles on the civil rights movement for BBC History Magazine. Kirk also acted as a consultant on an earlier Martin Luther King website produced by the network.
“This time, they wanted me to have a greater involvement in writing a more detailed and expansive website,” Kirk said.
“My goal was to introduce King to the wider public in a succinct and engaging manner, but also to do so in a scholarly, informed way,” he said.
Kirk was born and raised in England. He joined UALR in the summer of 2010 after teaching at the University of London and the University of Wales.
