Tuesday, October 5, 2010
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs
Glickman-Miller Hall, Roberta Steinbacher Atrium

Register | Flier | Presentation

“We, the men, women, and children of the civil rights movement, truly believed that if we adhered to the discipline and philosophy of nonviolence, we could help transform America. We wanted to realize what I like to call, the Beloved Community, an all-inclusive, truly interracial democracy based on simple justice, which respects the dignity and worth of every human being.

Central to our philosophical concept of the Beloved Community was the willingness to believe that every human being has the moral capacity to respect each other.” Eyes on the Prize, Foreward by John Lewis, Facing History and Ourselves, p. 6.

From 1963-1966, Congressman John Lewis was Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which was largely responsible for organizing student activism in the civil rights movement.

Every day, Cleveland’s political and civic leaders face challenges of accountability in public education, law enforcement and politics. From the Anthony Sowell case to the reorganization of the Cleveland Municipal School District, this forum will focus on the relevance of SNCC's grass-roots "organizing tradition", its philosophy of group-centered leadership, and its inclusive gender politics as a framework for thinking about African American politics, leadership and accountability today.

Local Response Panel:
Moderator:
Betty Pinkney, District Director, Office of the Late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones

Panelists confirmed to date:
Teresa Metcalf Beasley, Esq., Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
Renee T. Cavor, Chief of Transformation, Cleveland Metropolitan School District
James Hardiman, Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio
Shakyra Diaz, Education Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio

Keynote Speaker:
Kevin Gaines, Professor of History, University of Michigan

All forum events are free and open to the public, but please register online or call 216.523.7330.