AFSC Atlanta Celebrates Martin Luther King Week!

I must admit that when I first started working at AFSC I had no idea that the connection to Dr. King's legacy ran so deep in the organization. I didn't know that it was AFSC that set up the trip to India to meet with associates of MK Gandhi for Dr. King and Coretta Scott King. I didn't know that AFSC published the famed letter from a Birmingham Jail, which was smuggled out on toilet paper. I had no idea that it was AFSC that nominated Dr. King for the Nobel Peace Prize, which he won in 1964.
So it's no wonder that King week is truly a week on for AFSC, especially in Atlanta. It's a week not only to remember but also to hold up Dr. King’s message, which is as relevant today as it was when the words came out of his mouth or flowed from his pen.
On Thursday January 14th AFSC Atlanta hosted a Peace Program to Honor the legacy of Martin Luther King. AFSC's associate regional director, Alice Lovelace, used her years of experience as an organizer in Atlanta to pull together one of the strongest King week programs AFSC has put together in many years. Audiences were treated by performances from many talented artists and youth groups including, "Bridging The Gap" Program and the, "Substance Abuse Prevention Teen Theater".
Writer, activist Constance Curry was our guest speaker. Constance was the first white woman appointed to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) executive board. From 1964 to 1975 she worked as a field representative for AFSC. Constance brought many in the room, including myself, to tears when she shared personal stories of her interactions with Dr. King.
Alice also organized a social justice fair at the event. Several organizations had tables with materials for distribution including the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Amnesty International, Georgia WAND, Nuclear Watch South, African American Human Rights Foundation, International Action Center, and of Course AFSC.
Thank you to all the hundreds of Folks that came out and supported the event and remember....., "Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism"- Dr. King April 4th 1967