Thank you so much to all of you who made the ninth Gandhi-King Community Conference possible at BRIDGES this year.
It was amazing to have so many organizations and activists together at GKC and showing the projects and campaigns they represent.
These organizations that are working tirelessly for social justice in Memphis had the opportunity to present the issues that are affecting our community and the work they are currently doing to improve them.
IgniteAction presentations were done by the following:
- Community-Police Relations, presented by Melissa Miller-Monie, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
- Community Led Development, presented by Dr. Ken Reardon, Vance Avenue Collaborative
- Education Reform, presented by Mark Sturgis, STAND for Children – Memphis
- Equality, presented by Rebecca Terrell, CHOICES & Anne Gullick, TN Equality Project
- Healthcare, presented by Dr. Manoj Jain
- Homelessness and Poverty, presented by Paul Garner, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
- Immigration Reform, presented by Gabriela Marquez-Benitez, TN Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
These presentations were followed by People’s Movement Forums, where participants had the opportunity to go in-depth into the issue that most interested them and learn how they could get connected with others and take action on that particular issue.
We were reminded that what affects some of us, may indeed also affect all of us. Here is where solidarity plays a very important role in our lives.
Working together is how we, the people, will build a better city to live in.
Following a break for lunch, the conference expanded this opportunity for learning and sharing new skills through a selection of workshops including Nonviolent Communication, Media 101, Yoga and Meditation, Emotional Support for Activists, and Film Making for Justice.
We learned the following things: If we want such changes to occur, we will have to prepare our community for this by socially waking it up to these realities. We also must actively be putting into practice the knowledge being collected from our experiences as we come together in serving our Memphis community.
“Our goal is to create a beloved community and
this will require a qualitative change in our souls
as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This year’s Gandhi-King Conference has brought tremendous feedback from the participants, presenters, panelists and facilitators who contributed their talents. We thank you so much.
And also, this year, the Gandhi-King Youth Conference had a tremendous participation. From different schools, 350 Youth gathered for having this unique experience of peace and justice.
This opportunity in 2012 to have under one roof all of these great organizations, effective activists and exceptional members of our community empowered us then and even now to continue the legacy of Mahatmas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
For more information about the Gandhi-King Community Conference visit Gandhi-King Community Conference.