Sixteen members of Congress were in Birmingham Friday to begin a pilgrimage through the state’s civil rights landmarks.
From a stage in Birmingham’s civil rights district, the bipartisan group led by Rep. John Lewis reminisced on what unfolded there years ago.
A bipartisan delegation of Congressional members – blacks and whites; Democrats and Republicans; men and women — on Friday toured the downtown Birmingham Civil Rights District as part of a pilgrimage to 12 sites including landmarks in Montgomery and Selma.
The Faith & Politics Institute will convene in Birmingham this weekend to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Pilgrimage, and recognize the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
A contingency of bipartisan U.S. Congressional leaders, including Alabama’s U.S. senators and representatives will attend this year’s festivities.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2017
Contact: Alex Bloom | abloom@skdknick.com | 646-930-1940
Senator King, House Majority Whip Scalise, House Democratic Whip Hoyer, Among Bipartisan Group of 17 Members of Congress to Call on Constituents to “Set the Table for Civility”
WASHINGTON – Working with the Faith & Politics Institute (FPI) and the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD), a bipartisan group of 17 Members of Congress including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) is encouraging Americans to revive civility this holiday season, part of a joint initiative called “Setting the Table for Civility.”
Whip Scalise and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) (pictured below) partnered to tape a video message together – one of three bipartisan pairings of members sitting together to discuss ways that Americans can repair relationships and build civility during the holiday season. Senator Angus King (I-ME), 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Chief Executive Officer Wylecia Wiggs Harris of the League of Women Voters of the United States, and Reverend Timothy Boddie, General Secretary at Progressive National Baptist Convention, also contributed videos for the initiative.
So it has come to this: Our national mood has deteriorated to the point that it has become so partisan, so toxic and so contentious that dozens of civic groups have joined to promote a guide to keeping your Thanksgiving dinner conversation from degenerating into a shout-a-rama worthy of a cable news set.
This time, the pilgrimage was to western New York state and the landmarks of the abolition and women’s suffrage movements that were nurtured and led there. And it was at a lunch after a tour of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls on July 21 that Nathan Richardson recited his 2008 poem “We,” inspired by June Jordan’s “Poem for South African Women.”
June 15, 2017
Leading Through Division: How President Abraham Lincoln’s Wisdom
Offers Lessons to Address America’s 21st Century Divides
The Faith & Politics Institute Hosts June 21st Forum in Washington, D.C. with Bestselling Lincoln Historian & Author Ronald C. White & U.S. Representatives Will Hurd, Joaquin Castro & David Price
WASHINGTON – Can the wisdom of President Abraham Lincoln inspire modern leaders to address America’s divided politics? The Faith & Politics Institute (FPI) will host a forum with noted Lincoln historian and bestselling author Ronald C. White, and U.S Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), and David Price (D-NC) in Washington, D.C. on June 21st to address that important question.
White is the author of three national bestselling books on the 16th President: A. Lincoln: A Biography, Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural, and The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words.
Who: FPI President and CEO Joan Mooney, Lincoln historian and bestselling author Ronald C. White, and U.S Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX), Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and David Price (D-NC)
What: Leading Through Division: How President Abraham Lincoln’s Wisdom Offers Lesson to Address America’s 21st Century Divides. Introduction by Congressman Price followed by a bipartisan panel discussion featuring Congressmen Hurd, Castro, and Price
When: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 6:30 P.M. Reception, 7:00 P.M. Presentation
Where: Reserve Officers Association, Banquet Ballroom 1 CONSTITUTION AVENUE, N.E. Washington, D.C.
Media seeking to cover the event should RSVP to josh@edsassociates.com. Members of the public who wish to attend should RSVP to this link. For questions, please call 202-546-1299.
The Faith & Politics Institute is celebrating 25 years of bringing leaders together for the good of our nation through congressional pilgrimages, forums and dialogues that inspire leaders in public service across lines of ideology, race, and faith. Visit the Faith & Politics Institute atwww.faithandpolitics.org. and follow on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s not every day you get to walk in the footsteps of giants. Rarer still is being able to do so with them. Thanks to the Faith and Politics Institute’s pilgrimage to Alabama last weekend, that’s exactly what I got to do.
How prayer meetings on Capitol Hill inspire fellowship and foster bipartisan lawmaking, though some argue it is too much religion under the rotunda.
MEDIA ADVISORY
July 12, 2016
Family Members of Charleston Shooting Victims, Members of Congress Gather at U.S. Capitol to Reflect on South Carolina Civil Rights Pilgrimage, Remember Emanuel Nine and Survivors
July 13 Event Features Panel Discussion & Documentary of South Carolina Civil Rights Pilgrimage
WASHINGTON – On July 13th, the Faith and Politics Institute will hold an event at the U.S. Capitol that brings together bipartisan, bicameral members of Congress, survivors and family members of victims of the tragic shooting at Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina one year ago that claimed the lives of nine people practicing their faith.
Following a bipartisan congressional civil rights pilgrimage to South Carolina in March, the event will premiere the documentary of the pilgrimage and feature a panel discussion that reflects on the lessons of that experience, honors the Charleston shooting victims and explores the next steps to move the country toward racial reconciliation.
U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (D-SC), U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and FPI President Joan Mooney will co-host the event and lead the panel discussion with Melvin Graham, Nadine Collier and Alana Simmons, victims’ family members who participated in the pilgrimage. Attending the event, along with members of Congress and civil rights luminaries, will be Mrs. Polly Sheppard and Mrs. Felicia Sanders, two survivors of the Emanuel AME massacre. Civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis will also attend along with dozens of members of Congress.
From March 18th-20th, the Faith and Politics Institute led a bipartisan congressional delegation, students and seminarians on a pilgrimage that visited historic civil rights sites in Columbia, Orangeburg and Charleston culminating in a Palm Sunday worship service at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
To view a trailer for the pilgrimage documentary, visit The Faith & Politics Institute YouTube page.
Wednesday July 13, 2016
What: Post South Carolina Civil Rights Pilgrimage & One Year After Charleston Massacre – U.S. Capitol Event to Remember Emanuel Nine, Advance the National Dialogue on Race
Who: U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (D-SC), U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and FPI President Joan Mooney co-host and lead a panel discussion on the Pilgrimage to South Carolina and screen a short documentary.
Special Guests: Mrs. Polly Sheppard and Mrs. Felicia Sanders, two survivors of the Charleston Massacre, and family members of the victims who participated in the March Pilgrimage.
When: 6:00pm – Short Documentary, Panel Discussion (Media must arrive no later than 5:45pm)
Where: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center – Congressional Auditorium
The invite-only event is open to media. Please RSVP to josh.taylor@faithandpolitics.org. For more information, visit The Faith and Politics Institute at www.faithandpolitis.org or Twitter and Facebook.
Due to the brevity of the program, no questions from audience will be entertained. Members of Congress and victims' family members can be asked questions after the event by media.
