ASU to Host Annual Graetz Symposium

The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture at ASU will host The Robert and Jean Graetz Symposium on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome Banquet Room. 

Civil rights leaders and scholars, along with community activists, will discuss the relevance of nonviolent resistance in the solution of 21st-century problems. The Symposium also will examine the role of nonviolent resistance as a tactic/strategy/ and viable philosophy in blacks’ efforts to overcome racial oppression and as a model for solving conflicts between individuals, within communities and among nations around the world.

The complete schedule is as follows:

Morning Sessions 
9:35 a.m. - 10:05 a.m. “The Historical, Spiritual/ Ethical and Ideological Roots of Nonviolent Resistance to Societal Conflicts | Presenter: Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Civil Rights Activist, Minister, College Lecturer and Strategist on Nonviolent Social Change
10:10 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. “Nonviolent Resistance and the Civil Rights Movement" | Presenter: Dr. Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, Assistant Professor of African-American Studies, Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia 
10:50 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. “Nonviolent Resistance - A Personal Transformative Philosophy and Theology” | Presenter: Dr. Ruby Sales, Founder, SpiritHouse Project, Civil Rights Activist and Lecturer
11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. “Nonviolent Resistance and Martin Luther King, Jr.” | Presenter: Dr. Keith Burton, Director, Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations/ Professor of Religion, Oakwood University, Huntsville, Alabama

Luncheon (RSVP required)
12:20 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. “The Spirituality of Nonviolent Resistance & the Struggle for the Beloved Community” | Presenter: Dr. Robert White, Instructor of Humanities, Alabama State University

Afternoon Session
Nonviolent Resistance in the Twenty-First Century"
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
This workshop looks at nonviolent resistance as a tool for solving problems facing communities in the twenty-first century. Attorney AinkaJackson, Executive Director of Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth andReconciliation will moderate a panel discussion with community activists and leaders, including Charles Lee, Executive Director of That's My Child; Deandre Burns, High School Program Director at Common Ground Montgomery; and more.   

For more information, call 334-229-8568.