Reconciliation Dinner of Shreveport Will Honor 44 Local Residents
Being recognized at the Reconciliation Dinner is quite an honor. This year, 44 people have been invited to attend.
The first Reconciliation Dinner of Shreveport is set for August 27th at the Petroleum Club.
It's an invitation-only gathering of 80–100 residents, (each honoree may bring a spouse or someone significant to them). Each individual selected represents someone whose life has been interwoven into the cultural and racial fabric of our city’s growth and history and who represents the spirit of reconciliation.
Here's a little history from the selection committee:
The first Reconciliation Dinner was held immediately after the Civil War by Chef Nat Fuller, an enslaved person who became free and established a famous restaurant in Charleston, S.C. Chef Fuller invited blacks and whites to sit down over a dinner, in the spirit of reconciliation, and start to talk to each other to move Charleston forward after the war. In 2014 the City of Charleston recreated the unique culinary experience to address modern-day reconciliation issues.
More than 180 people were nominated. Here's the list of invitees:
Jerome Adkins Alvin Moore
Deborah Allen Barbara Pendleton
Arthur Anderson Grace Peterson
John Beaird Steve Prator
Harry Blake Henry Price
Willie Bradford Shirley Roberson
Willie Burton Maxine Sarpy
Lynn Cawthorne Annette Simmons
Rosie Chaffold C.O. Simpkins
Carl Stewart
Adrienne Critcher Gregory Tarver
Jerry Davenport Robert Trudeau
Cathie Dodson Arthur Thompson
Mary Dumars Ollie Tyler
Renee Ellis Clay Walker
Lamar Goree Henry Walker
Bart Gould Mamie Love Wallace
Debbie Hollis Matt & Vicky Whitehead (Common
John Hussey Ground)
Chris Jay
Leslie Jones
Gregory Kallenberg
Pastor Calvin Kimble
Robert Lewis
Laurie Lyons
Mack McCarter
Pastor C.E. McLain
RISING VOICES
Katie Bickham
LeVette Fuller
Emilie Harmeyer
Kate Pedrotty
Meghan Shapiro
Crystalyn Whitaker
Bryce Williams