Dayton, OH. As the 2008 Presidential Election draws near, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Southern Christian Leadership Conference called an emergency board meeting to discuss the development of a comprehensive civil rights agenda. In a joint statement, SCLC Chairman Raleigh Trammell and President & CEO Charles Steele, Jr. stated:

“The National Board of Directors of SCLC gathered on October 18-19 in Dayton, Ohio to bring together a coalition of civil rights groups and activists to begin the development of a comprehensive civil rights agenda. The November 5, 2008 Presidential Election will be a defining moment in history as we shall either see the First African-American President or the First Woman Vice President, and the civil rights community needs to be prepared to present the next presidential administration with a set of core values and expectations as it relates to critical policy decisions that have civil and human rights implications. The next United Stated President, whether its Senator Barack Obama or Senator John McCain, must fully understand that civil rights has to be a central component to their agenda. When either of these gentleman make their inaugural address, a necessary part of their 100 day plan must include the return of civil rights as an element of America’s political agenda. The issue is no longer simply about race, although that issue remains near the top of our agenda, but the issue has to be expanded to ensure that every American has the real opportunity to make a livable wage, achieve the dream of home ownership, have quality and affordable health care, and ensure that their children can receive a quality and affordable education. In order to ensure that the recent $700 million federal bailout does not simply save the astronomical salaries of corporate executives, Americans must be diligent in holding out elected officials accountable. Economics has become the civil rights issue of the 21st Century and as such a plan must be formulated to ensure that no American is left behind.”

Former SCLC President, Mr. Martin Luther King III and Mr. Jonathan Jackson took part in the summit.

While the music moves you physically, the words of Dr. King move you emotionally. In an impressive collaborative way that is relative to today’s diverse musical tastes, “Message In The Music” features a variety of music formats. There is something for everyone on this album, from the soulful R&B sounds of Lenny Williams with the touching song “Dr. King We Love You,” to the Hip-Hop sounds of Snoop Dogg, and the Pop Dance sounds of new artist Shari Tanizawa. Executive Produced by Kevin Irving of Kirv Entertainment and Lanz Alexander, “Message In The Music” will be available at local churches, major record stores, digitally online as well as the official website www.mlkrecords.com.

The SCLC is still in existence today and proceeds from the sales of “Message In The Music” will benefit the continuous work of this historic organization which now focuses its efforts on hate crimes, discrimination, and police brutality. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was formed in 1957. It had two objectives, one to use nonviolent protest as a method of resistance to discrimination and the other to appeal to the moral conscience of Americans. After extensive discussion, the SCLC was founded by Martin Luther King, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, Bayard Rustin, and others. King was elected as the first president and Abernathy served as the treasurer. In the spirit of Martin Luther King,Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is renewing its commitment to bring about the promise of ‘one nation, under God, INDIVISIBLE’ together with the commitment to activate the ‘strength to love’ within the community of humankind.

Civil Rights Leader Dr. Charles Steele, Jr. and Multi-Platinum Producer Kevin “Khao” Cates led a march and rally Sunday, November 2nd in Atlanta, Ga. The march and rally was the culmination of the Million March 2 Vote Campaign, a non-partisan nationwide effort that calls on civic minded organizations to encourage their members and constituents to vote.

The campaign targeted people that in the past may have never voted or been unaware of the steps to take to register to vote. The March began at 2:00pm and the Rally at 3:00pm. Participants assembled at Morris Brown Herndon Stadium at 12:30pm and marched down Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to the Georgia State Capitol.
“It appears that the younger generations have lost sight of the struggles and obstacles that preceded them,” said Dr. Steele. “We want to rekindle that spirit in our youth and encourage everyone to use the right that so many have died for.”
“Our generation takes a lot for granted,” Khao said. “There is so much to learn from one another and it’s way overdue. There is lack of participation from us. I asked myself: who will be our leaders of tomorrow if we don’t make a stand and vote?”

Dr. Steele and Khao will continue working together with the Bridging da Gap Movement. Bridging da Gap is an International project meant to bring generations together to share information and create a society conducive to progress and awareness. Dr. Steele and Khao see the need to create a platform for the unification of youth and great leaders of the older generation. The project includes various recording artists joining together to record an entire album with proceeds going to benefit Youth Programs and development of educational programs that promote such growth. The first single launching this collaborative movement is titled “Bridging da Gap” featuring Khao and Dr. Steele. Bridging da Gap will include curriculum that address the problems faced by today’s youth, with solutions that spark discussions between the generations to permit an exchange of information.
Dr. Steele and Khao performed their riveting and powerful song at the Rally on Sunday. Celebrity guests were also in attendance and performed. Community leaders, politicians, hip-hop artists, professional athletes and music executives also joined Dr. Steele and Khao in the march.

“I have a dream, that one day, even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

In his January 20, 2008 speech at Ebeneezer Baptist Church, Barack Obama spoke of Martin Luther King, Jr. bringing unity in an hour of need. Obama stated, “What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to shake. If a few more women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had done, maybe the cracks would start to show. If teenagers took freedom rides from North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Maybe if white folks marched because they had come to understand that their freedom too was at stake in the impending battle, the wall would begin to sway. And if enough Americans were awakened to the injustice; if they joined together, North and South, rich and poor, Christian and Jew, then perhaps that wall would come tumbling down, and justice would flow like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Own a piece of history. A limited number of posters are available.
The poster is $20.00 plus $3.50 shipping and handling
Poster sales fund SCLC’s nonviolent programs and activities.
Please support the continuous work of SCLC by purchasing the commemorative SCLC 45th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington poster.
Please don’t miss out on your chance to own a piece of history. A limited number of posters are available. The cost of the poster is $20.00 and $3.50 shipping and handling.
All sales of this poster will be used to fund SCLC’s nonviolent programs and activities.

The meeting is open to all SCLC Board Members, chapters, affiliates, and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.The 2010 Annual Spring Board meeting is one of the most important gatherings of the year as we prepare to establish an agenda that will set the tone for our organization for the next year.

An Important Message for Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Family.

This email is written to update you on recent developments concerning the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. On Saturday, April 10, 2010, in a called meeting and acting pursuant to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, nineteen members of the Board of Directors of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference unanimously voted to remove Rev. Raleigh Trammell as Chairman and a member of the Board of Directors and Mr. Spiver Gordon as Treasurer and as a member of the SCLC Board of Directors based on misconduct.

The Board of Directors of SCLC also took action regarding the Office of President and ruled that Rev. James Bush had been improperly appointed by Chairman Trammell and the Executive Committee as acting President. This Board Meeting was called pursuant to a resolution signed by seventeen members of the Board pursuant to the Constitution and By-laws of SCLC which provides that a meeting of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by “any eleven members of the Board”. Notice of the April 10th Board meeting was issued by Rev. Dr. Tucker on April 5, 2010 and was sent to all Board Members by email, fax, and Federal Express. Each of these means of notice of the meeting was given and where Board members had email and fax addresses, they were all sent three forms of notification. The meeting was widely publicized and all Board members were invited to attend this meeting which was legally called and conducted according to the Constitution and By-laws and the laws of the State of Georgia.

In addition, the nineteen board members unanimously elected Rev. Sylvia Tucker as Chairperson of the Board, Attorney Randal Gaines, Treasurer and has restored Dr. Byron Clay, as the national organization’s interim president. Dr. Clay will continue to serve in preparation for the induction of the Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, as the SCLC’s first female President.

Dr. King once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” SCLC is a family, and as you are all aware, there are times when a family will have disagreements. We never stop loving family and we should always work in the spirit of nonviolence and reconciliation to bring about peaceful resolution. There is no attempt to divide our beloved organization, but rather we are working to ensure that we govern ourselves in a Christian manner and one that reflects the spirit of our Founder Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We cannot allow the controversy and challenge of this situation from preventing us to work to redeem the soul of America, but rather we must first work to redeem the soul of SCLC.As you are aware, the Board of Directors of SCLC is charged under the Constitution and By-laws of SCLC with the responsibility of managing the affairs of SCLC. The Board of Directors voted unanimously at this meeting after a quorum was declared present that these actions were necessary and appropriate.

Although, all nineteen members of the Board of Directors that participated in this meeting determined that it was in the best interest of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that this action be taken, Rev. Trammell and others, have refused to accept the mandate of the Board of Directors and continue in their attempts to interfere with the operation of our beloved SCLC. However, despite their refusal to put the best interest of SCLC first, we must begin the redemptive process of rebuilding our beloved organization.

Therefore, the Board of Directors of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference under the new direction of Rev. Dr. Sylvia Tucker is pleased to announce that the annual SCLC Spring Meeting will take place in Atlanta, GA on April 19-20 at West Hunter Street Baptist Church located at 1040 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, Atlanta, Georgia 30310. The Spring Meeting will convene on April 19, 2010 with workshops and other sessions. The meeting is open to all SCLC Board Members, chapters, affiliates, and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.The 2010 Annual Spring Board meeting is one of the most important gatherings of the year as we prepare to establish an agenda that will set the tone for our organization for the next year.

The items that we will address next week will include but is not limited to:

1. The development of an inauguration committee to plan for the installment of our President Elect, Elder Bernice King who was elected on October 29, 2009 by a clear majority of the National Board of Directors.
2. The annual certification of all chapters and affiliates.
3. The selection of the site for the 2010 SCLC Annual Convention.
4. The adoption of the 2010 Annual Budget and Program Agenda.
5. The development and design of the 2010 Annual Chapter Leadership Training.

We are asking that you commit to attend the Annual Spring Board Meeting next week as the success of the organization depends on the viability of our chapters and affiliates. This is an excellent opportunity for chapters to make their voices known, especially as it relates to certain constitutional provisions that may be presented to increase the ability of chapters to have direct involvement in the governance of the organization. In fact, the Constitution provides for the establishment of a Nominating Committee at the Annual Spring Board Meeting and therefore, if you are a Chapter President and would like to be considered for service on the National Board of Directors, this process will be discussed at the upcoming meeting. In addition, the Board of Directors will receive for review and adoption the 2010 Chapter Policy Manual that is developed to assist chapter in its operation and development.

View info on the hotel and meeting location.

Dr. Steele, the sixth president of the world-renowned civil rights organization founded by Dr. King in 1957, will hold training sessions with Palestinian leaders from Jan. 3 to Jan. 7 at the Grand Hotel in Bethlehem, officials announced today.

“We will convey the message of the Kingian Theory,” said Dr. Steele, who is currently meeting with SCLC board members in Dayton, Ohio. “We as a people have encountered and endured the worst inhumane treatment of any people, and we have not turned to violence. We have the moral authority because we have proven that nonviolence is the answer to resolving conflict.”

Dr. Steele will travel to Palestine with Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a distinguished scholar-in-residence and Director of Nonviolence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island, who also is known for assisting Dr. King in the development of nonviolent conflict resolution theory. SCLC officials said Steele and Lafayette will spend five intensive days with more than 35 Middle Eastern leaders.

The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto increases the urgency of the need for nonviolent conflict resolution training sessions, Dr. Lafayette said.

“I think the non-violence theory will help people understand that you can assassinate the leader, but that the act will not transform the situation,” said Dr. Lafayette. “Violence is the language of inarticulate people who don’t know how to talk to each other. It is not a way to solve problems. Every time we have been at war, the goal was to get people to sit down and talk to each other so we can resolve the conflict.

“No war has ever been won on the battlefield,” Dr. Lafayette said. “Wars are won when diplomats get to the table and come to an agreement.”