THE PROJECT

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the foundation in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) – organization that has always fought, by the radical non-violent method, for the rights of all minorities – and, in 2008, in the occasion of the 40th anniversary of King’s assassination, UCEBI has organized a series of events begun in the Spring of 2007 on the theme of the relevance of the message of Dr. Martin Luther King in the world today.

The UCEBI and the Lott Carey Convention have assured for the occasion of the International Event in Rome (Oct. 31 – Nov. 2), the presence of speakers from African and African-American churches.

Among the Speakers:

• Dr. Lewis V. Baldwin, professor in Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Ms. Roslyn M. Brock, Vice Chair of the NAACP
• Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, Executive Secretary - Treasurer of the Lott Carey Foreign Baptist Convention
• Dr. Henry Mugabe, President of the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zimbabwe in Gweru.
• Dr. Ruben Richards who held the position of Executive Secretary within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (for both Human Rights violation Committee and the Amnesty Committee) in South Africa
• Rev. J. Michael Sanders, pastor of the Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, New Jersey and immediate former president of the Lott Carey Foreign Baptist Convention.

The Gospel choir from the Fountain Baptist Church of Summit, New Jersey will sing during the three days International Gathering in Rome.
The Lott Carey Convention has provided 8,000 dollars toward the Rome event.

Other Initiatives Planned in Italy in 2007-2008 are:

• Meetings throughout the country in the middle and high schools during the 2007 and 2008, on the theme of Dr. Martin Luther King and his message (see panel 1);
• Introduction of choirs and musical groups in various prisons of Italy from Spring 2007 to Fall 2008 that will animate the project’s theme, particularly directed to those within the prison population from African nations;
• Introduction of choirs and musical groups in some refugee and nomad camps;
• Several seminars in the Spring and Fall of 2007 and 2008 presenting the person and message of Martin Luther King through panel discussions at: Il Centro Studi Americani di Roma, the Italian Universities in Macerata, Urbino, Fisciano (Salerno), and Rome- “La Sapienza” and “Roma-Tre”;
• A specific publication on the reality of the message of King and the challenges of faith in the building of a reconciled society (A Book on the Subject);
• The preparation of a DVD on the afore-mentioned themes, to be distributed in the schools and broadcasted via local and national television stations starting from October 2007;
• The preparation of 2 TV programs for the national public TV channel RAI2 in the program “Protestantesimo”
• A 3-day International Convention (31 October – 2 November 2007) involving some 300-400 participants from various parts of Italy, as well as the African-American, Zimbabwean, and South African delegations (International Convention).

To encourage an inter-ethnic and inter-generational nature in all of the meetings and activities, the organizers are aiming for the participation of young people (at least 50%), and of immigrants and foreign invitees (at least 30%).

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Strengthen awareness in Italy of the cultural wealth and humanitarian importance
  of the present of different immigrant groups,
• Counteract incipient forms of intolerance and racism present in many environs, not the least of which being youth-in-sports and soccer fans,
• Encourage the development of a global culture that values the contribution of all nations and peoples to a collective well-being,
• Spreading a message, above all among young people, that of combining the need for justice and peace for all nations – also those distant and forgotten – with the promotion of a lifestyle that is sober and consistent with those principles in one’s daily choices,
• Foster an awareness of the fact that within the African-American Baptist Churches, there are many, at various levels, contending for the rights of minorities, for justice and peace, on the basis of a vibrant and conscientious Christian spirituality.