The Cultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham is looking for 50 good men and women who want to help the people they serve both honor the past and move 50 years forward to a better Birmingham.
The Cultural Alliance, with funding from the Kresge Foundation, is soliciting nominations for its upcoming Step Forward 2013 Leadership Summit. Set for March 10 – 15, 2013, the Summit centers around the birthday of Birmingham Movement icon, the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, who would have been 91 on March 18.
Building on the foundation of the 1963 Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, the Summit immerses the 50 current and emerging community leaders in a two-day training session on effective civic engagement and organizing, social advocacy and purpose-driven artistic creation.
Session workshops will be facilitated by Urban Bush Women (UBW), a Brooklyn, NY-based dance company that uses movement methodology as a vehicle for teaching, organizing, communicating and promoting civic engagement and social justice. UBW will work in conjunction with People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), a New Orleans-based anti-racist organization dedicated to social transformation.
As Birmingham begins to move 50 years beyond its pivotal role in the American civil rights movement, it is important that today’s leaders embrace the lessons of that history, says Buddy Palmer, executive director of the Cultural Alliance.
“The Movement of 1963, and the years leading up to it, was successful because of grassroots organizing and leadership within the community. This summit is about giving existing and emerging leaders new tools to better engage and interact with the people they serve, as individuals and as members of an organization,” he said. “We are looking for leaders who are inclined to think of 2013 as the beginning of deeper community transformation rather than the end of a 50-year period.”
Those interested in the training can register for one of the two-day intensives: Monday and Tuesday, March 11 -12, or Wednesday and Thursday, March 13-14. Training will take place at the JCCEO Kingston Center, located at 801 46th Street North, 35212.
There will also be an opening convening session on Sunday, March 10, for all participants. On Friday, March 15, there will be additional culminating experiences that will be open to all participants as well as to the general public.
The Step Forward 2013 Leadership Summit registration fee is $150; need-based scholarships are available.
Click HERE to download the flyer or Click HERE for Step Forward information and the online application at the Cultural Alliance’s website.
For more information, contact CAGB Executive Director & CEO Buddy Palmer at 205-458-1393.
