Atlanta, Georgia — For the first time in 15 years, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is holding its national convention in Birmingham, Alabama– the city and state often called the “birthplace of the civil rights movement.”

With the theme Remembering Our Past… Forging Our Future, the SCLC is pleased to share news of the many influential and dynamic speakers and invited guests slated to attend this year’s convention. Among these guests are SCLC past presidents the Rev. Joseph Lowery, Martin Luther King III, and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who will all participate in a candlelight discussion on Monday, August 1, 2005. Also participating in the discussion are long-time civil rights activists Rev. C.T. Vivian, Xernona Clayton, and Johnnie Carr. Keynote speakers for scheduled ticketed events include Rev. Jesse Jackson, Founding President and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition; Howard Dean, Chairman of the National Democratic Party; Rev. Abraham L. Woods, SCLC Birmingham Chapter President; Hermene Hartman, President and CEO of Savoy Magazine; Idotha Bootsie-Neal, Executive Director of Wright Dunbar, Inc.; and George Fraser, networking guru and author of Success Runs in Our Race.

Elder Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Coretta Scott King and the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who will be speaking at the youth rally entitled “ Stop the Violence & End the Killings” at Kelly Ingram Park on Monday, August 1, 2005. Dr. William Shaw, President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, will keynote the Christian Fellowship in Action program on Saturday, July 30, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. at Hopewell Baptist Church. Other special invited guests include Johnathan Rodgers, CEO and President of TV One, Lifestyle and Entertainment Television; the famed Mississippi Mass Choir who is performing on the evening of Saturday, July 30, 2005; gospel great, Dorothy Norwood, who will provide the entertainment at this year’s highly anticipated awards gala on August 2, 2005; and a host of other notable entertainers, politicians, and community and civic leaders.

“We are excited to be here in Birmingham! The last time that the SCLC National Convention was held in Birmingham was in 1990,” says SCLC National President and CEO Charles Steele. “For us, Birmingham is the ideal location for this year’s conference, because it is significant for so many reasons in the history and struggle of the Movement. We are thrilled with this opportunity to revisit the city and state that played a vital role in the history of SCLC, and in the history of the entire civil rights movement.”
In addition to ticketed events, this year’s convention offers several programs that are open to the public such as the President’s address, Christian Faith in Action program, the gospel concert, and the “Stop the Violence & Killings” youth march and rally at Kelly Ingram Park.

Topics up for discussion during this four-day event, include education, youth leadership/development, voter education/protection, conflict-resolution, employment, economic development, healthcare, and juvenile justice. SCLC leaders will also share information on the organization’s current advocacy agenda and strategic priorities for 2005-2007, and will share the organization’s current initiative to establish conflict-resolution centers throughout the United States and abroad.

To register to attend this year’s convention and to find out more information on scheduled events, tickets, and lodging, visit sclcnational.org.