My cousin Bernice King is calling for no violence on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 20, and extending the effort for 100 days.
What better way could there be than to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. than to compel people to forsake gun violence, verbal violence . . . violence of any kind for that matter, for at least a day?
I agree with Bernice — nonviolence is a key to social change.
Bernice recently made an appeal to the world to forsake violence on MLK day, calling for a 100 Days of Nonviolence Campaign. The King Center is amassing an impressive list of partners in these efforts to curtail violence, including The Atlanta Hawks.
The King Center and the Atlanta Hawks professional basketball team have joined in a partnership campaign to urge high school students to “Choose Nonviolence” as a way of life and a meaningful way to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
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Other groups such as the musical Awspire Entertainment Group featuring Iconic Journey are adding to the effort by contributing the use of original tunes including «Let Freedom Ring» and an inspirational ballad «Come Too Far» to the lineup of artistic entertainment at several events during King Week.
Bernice said: “It is so encouraging that my hometown Atlanta Hawks are partnering with The King Center and providing leadership to encourage young people to embrace nonviolence in commemorating the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Professional athletes have unique credibility with young people, and when they take a stand against violence, it resonates throughout the community.”
I’m too am excited about all of this. I’ll be the boots on the ground on Uncle King’s actual birthday, Jan. 15, for the Choose Nonviolence: NOW! No Other Way! events and the Launch of 100 Days of Nonviolence and also will be addressing the evil impact of genocide on the panel for The State of Nonviolence: From Chaos to Community (A Dialogue on Human Trafficking). Then on Friday, I can’t wait to hear “The Message in the Music” at the Musical Tribute honoring the legacy of my uncle. I pray that thousands will join us, either by attending or at least amping up the social media efforts.
The Choose Nonviolence — No Shots Fired campaign will challenge high school students in the Atlanta Metro Area to participate in the #ChooseNonviolenceCampaign by posting on the following social media platforms from Monday Jan. 6, 2014 – Friday Jan. 17, 2014:
- Change your social media profile to the “No Shots Fired” Logo.
- Post on Instagram (picture or video) why you believe it is important to choose nonviolence. You can post submissions on Twitter as well.
- Use the hash tags #ATLHawks with #ChooseNonviolence
Eligible submissions will be randomly chosen and awarded tickets to attend the Atlanta Hawks vs. the Miami Heat game on Jan. 20 2014, at 5:30 p.m.
For more detailed information about the MLK birthday observance program, please contact Bunnie Jackson-Ransom at (404) 505-8188 or via email at bjr@fclassinc.com or contact Steve Klein at sklein@thekingcenter.org.
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100 Days of Nonviolence to Honor MLK.