The Virtual Beloved Community Global Summit focuses on the 2022 King Holiday Observance theme, “It Starts with Me! Shifting Priorities to Create the Beloved Community.” The Panelist and audience will engage in a variety of conversations around what it means to shift our priorities to address the myriad of social justice and societal challenges facing humanity globally; how we shift our priorities; and, why it is important to make these shifts. Each session will include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s prophetic words as a means for centering the conversation.

THE KING CENTER

2022 BELOVED COMMUNITY GLOBAL SUMMIT

SCHEDULE

DAY 1 - BELOVED COMMUNITY GLOBAL SUMMIT GENERAL SESSIONS

10:00-10:55 AM EST

A Special Interview with The King Center CEO:

“It Starts with Me: Shifting Priorities to Create the Beloved Community”

Interviewer: Dr. Vonnetta L. West

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bernice A. King

Focused on the 2022 King Holiday Observance theme, the Chief Executive Officer of The King Center, Dr. Bernice A. King, will provide her thoughts on why we have a moral and global imperative to shift our priorities and shift our mindsets from “a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society” in order to create the Beloved Community, which her father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and her mother, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, spoke of and worked toward. In addition, Dr. King will expound on the implications of the continued unregulated use of technology in our society.

11:00 AM-12:25 PM EST

Shifting Our Priorities to Organize and Mobilize Our Strength into Compelling Power and Create the Beloved Community

Moderator: Dr. Vonnetta West

Panelists: Shane Claiborne, Dr. Bernice A. King, Dr. Neal Lester, Dr. Irshad Manji

This panel discussion will continue the stream of thought from the CEO’s opening session by asking and answering the questions, “Why is it vitally important that we rise to our responsibilities to and for each other to build a global collective focused on creating the Beloved Community?” and “What is the power of ME shifting to US in our efforts to organize and mobilize our strength into compelling power?” In addition, this panel discussion will dissect, for the sake of application today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote about developing a “coalition of conscience” and explore how such a coalition would further the work of organizing and mobilizing our strength into compelling power and creating the Beloved Community.

12:30-1:25 PM EST

Exploring The Mindset Needed to Shift Priorities and Create the Beloved Community Moderator: Dr. Vonnetta West

Panelists: Dr. Jacqueline Battalora, Dr. Ebony Hilton, Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh

We have examined the comprehensive, global importance of shifting our priorities to create the Beloved Community and how that shift must proceed and feed into mobilizing and organizing powerfully and collectively. Now, we will streamline our discussion and continue our progress in the Summit by sitting with this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Nothing could be more tragic than for men to live in these revolutionary times and fail to achieve the new attitudes and the new mental outlooks that the new situation demands.” This panel discussion will ask and answer the question, “What are the new attitudes and new mental outlooks that our current situation demands and how should we ‘set our minds’ to create the Beloved Community?”

1:30-1:55 PM EST

Mrs. Coretta Scott King Speech at Harvard University

2:00-3:10 PM EST

Shifting Priorities – When Voting is People-Centered, Not Thing-Centered

Moderator: Jill Savitt

Panelists: Cliff Albright, Ari Berman, Greta Lucero Telléz Sill, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (invited)

How would the energy and cross generational, cross class engagement in voting evolve for good if we elevated the conversation and strategy around voting to a ‘Beloved Community plane?’ This Summit session will answer that question and explore how people from key sectors of society can be a part of reigniting the vote by demonstrating a shift in language and a shift in priorities hearkening to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. imploring “Give us the ballot and we will…send to the sacred halls of Congress men [people] who will not sign a “Southern Manifesto” because of their devotion to the manifesto of justice.” We can remind people of a “higher” reasoning for and result of voting.

3:15-4:25 PM EST

Shifting Priorities - Addressing Health Inequities in the World House with Our Interconnectedness in Mind

Moderator: Dr. Julianne Adams Birt

Panelists: Michael Akinyele, Dr. Esther Choo, Michael Weinstein

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Guided by these words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the panelists for this Summit session will examine the global issue of health inequities and how understanding and embracing our interconnectedness can galvanize us to shift priorities and eradicate this impediment to creating the Beloved Community.

4:30-5:20 PM EST

Shifting Priorities – Understanding How the Reasons for Climate Change and Environmental Injustice Can Inform Our Response

Moderator: Karin Ryan

Panelists: Zanagee Artis, Vanessa Nakate, Gustavo Alanis

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. examined social issues and educated humanity, via his books and speeches, on the causes of those issues and on the human condition. In doing so, he provided a map for a path forward. Using words that he conveyed regarding the roots of injustice, we can map our way forward from the devastation of climate change and environmental injustice. How are the two connected, what are their roots, and what must shifting priorities include for us to respond humanely and strategically to these impediments to creating the Beloved Community?

5:20-5:30 PM EST

Closing the Day Out and Looking to Tomorrow

Facilitator: Dr. Vonnetta L. West

DAY 2 - BELOVED COMMUNITY GLOBAL SUMMIT GENERAL SESSIONS

10:00 - 10:15 AM EST

WELCOME AND RECAP of DAY ONE OF THE SUMMIT and INTRO TO DAY TWO

Dr. Elizabeth Rosner and Cameron Friend, The King Center

This session is a recap of Day One of the Summit, including what was addressed – the vision set by Dr. King, exploration of how one can begin to shift our priorities to create the Beloved Community and some of the ways we can do that as we work collectively to address people-centered voting, health inequities, and environmental injustice.

10:15-10:55 AM EST

Shifting Priorities to Implement Humane Immigration Policies

Moderator: Karin Ryan

Panelists: Sayu Bhjowani, Fizza Qureshi, Carlos Rodriguez

This session will dissect the many ways in which racism, materialism (poverty) and militarism inform the decisions and biases related to immigration practices. Participants will explore individual behaviors and biases and cultural and legislative practices that contribute to inhumane acts towards immigrants.

11:00-11:55 AM EST

Shifting Priorities to Close the Wealth Gap

Moderator: Ashley D. Bell

Panelists: Sherrell Dorsey, Michael Tubbs, Brian Wakamo

This session will enhance our understanding of how the Triple Evils of racism, extreme materialism (poverty) and militarism continue to widen the wealth gap and the ways in which technology contributes to this challenge.

12:00-12:55 PM EST

How Media and Entertainment Can Shift Priorities to Create the Beloved Community

Moderator: God-Is Rivera

Panelists: Josh Griffin, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr.

This session will explore how the spheres of media and entertainment can shift priorities and avoid being misused to the detriment of the global community.

1:00-1:55 PM EST

Shifting Priorities as It Relates to Humanity's Use of Technology

Moderator: Michael Akinyele

Panelists: Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Randima (Randy) Fernando, Yusuf Henriques, Drue Kataoka, and Gail Zahtz

By remaining mindful of the theme for this year’s summit, panelist will explore in greater detail the numerous ways in which technology may be used to enhance society and humanity, as well as the potential dangers of the use of technology if not regulated and managed.

2:00-2:25 PM EST

A Critical Conversation with Paul Davison, CEO, Clubhouse

Facilitator: Drue Kataoka

2:30-3:25 PM EST

Truth and Reconciliation: Critical to Shifting Priorities and Creating the Beloved Community

Moderator: Tiffany Smith

Panelists: Esther Anne, Freddy Mutanguha, Jill Savitt

This session delves into the question of how we as individual people, organizations, government entities and community leaders must change our mindsets to begin to truly address the need for truth and reconciliation. The session will also address why nonviolence is the pathway to creating the beloved community and explore the questions of how we got here in the first place and what is required of us to begin to have the honest open dialogue needed to move us forward to true healing and reconciliation.

3:30-4:25 PM EST

Moderator: Dr. Vonnetta West

Panelists: Kazu Haga, Loretta J. Ross

Shifting Priorities: Dispelling Myths and Misnomers that Hinder the Creation of the Beloved Community

This session explores the myths and misunderstandings associated with what it means to Create the Beloved Community. Topics to be addressed include critical race theory, why it is important to call in, the calling out culture, the critical role that nonviolence plays in the creation of the beloved community and why we believe that with time the creation of the beloved community is realistic.

4:30-4:55 PM

CLOSING REMARKS

Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO, The King Center

For more information or questions contact: 2021kho@thekingcenter.org,

Join us via YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter as we live stream the summit!

Thursday, January 13, 2022 – 10:00 A.M – 5:30 P.M

Friday, January 14, 2022 – 10:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M

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