A national church group comes to Birmingham on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the writing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to confront ongoing racism.
In a commitment to contribute to the church’s mission to confront the sin of racism in America, Christian Churches Together USA is holding its national “Symposium on Race, Faith and our Future,” on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the writing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
At its symposium in Birmingham on April 14-15, Christian Churches Together (CCT) will release its “A Response to Dr. King’s ‘from Birmingham Jail.’”
“We have invited head of communions, ecumenical officers and other leaders in CCT, as well as Civil Rights leaders and other national leaders committed to this work,” says Rev. Carlos L. Malavé, executive director of Christian Churches Together USA.
Rev. Malavé says that the issue of racism has been the main topic of conversation at CCT’s last two annual meetings, in Birmingham (2011) and in Memphis (2012).
“At these gatherings, national political and religious leaders shared their insights and challenged us to look at different angles in our efforts to address the sin of racism,” he says. “We have been reminded that the evil of racism, even though it originates in our sinful human condition, is manifested in the socio-political and economical oppression of people.”
The main two goals of the symposium will be: first, to engage in an honest conversation about the reality of racism in the churches and what the churches must do in order to be faithful to the Gospel; and second, the release of the “Response” to Dr. King’s prophetic essay.
Dr. King was arrested on Good Friday, April 12, 1963, during the mass non-violent demonstrations in the streets of Birmingham. Dubbed “Project C,” the demonstrations were part of a joint campaign launched on April 3, 1963, by Dr. King’s national Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, led by Birmingham’s Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth.
While in jail, Dr. King wrote a response to eight white Birmingham clergyman who publicly criticized him and the demonstrations, calling them “untimely” in a newspaper article. Dr. King’s letter – originally written around the edges of a newspaper, toilet tissue and paper scraps before it was transferred to a notepad and typed – was released on April 18, 1963.
Christian Churches Together USA
Response to Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
A Symposium on Race, Faith and Our Future
@ St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1500 6th Avenue N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Sunday, April 14
6:00 – 6:30 PM Welcome, Greetings and Prayer, Introduction of Symposium by- Dr. Stephen Thurston
6:30–7:00 PM Keynote Address – Rev. Jim Wallis
7:00 ‐ 7:30 PM Responders: Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz & Dr. Albert J. Roboteau
7:30 ‐ 8:00 PM Q & A
Monday, April 15
9:00 – 9:45 AM Prayer Walk at Kelly Ingram Park Move to St. Paul United Methodist Church
10:00 – 10:45 Keynote Address: Dr. Dorothy Cotton
11:00 – 11:30 AM Keynote Address: Rep. John Lewis “Historical Context and Significance of the Original Letter from Birmingham Jail”
11:30 – 11:50 AM Responder Dr. Ron Sider
11:50 – 12:15 PM Q&A
12:15 – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:15 – 3:15 PM Panel Discussion: “The Way Forward”
Panelists
Dr. Virgil A. Wood
Rev. Sharon Watkins
Ms. Lisa Sharon-Harper
Bishop Shelton J. Fabre
Dr. Bernice King
3:15 – 3:30 PM Symbolic Signing of CCT
Response Document by CCT Presidents
End of Public Event
Registration is required to attend, $25 for adults and $15 for students. For more details about the Christian Churches Together USA’s symposium, visit the website, www.christianchurchestogether.org. For media interviews, contact:
Rev. Carlos L. Malavé
Executive Director Christian Churches Together USA
Phone: 502.415.2665
Email: carlosmalave@cctusa.net
