About the Conference

The Gandhi-King Conference on Peacemaking is a three-day conference bringing together modern visionaries of nonviolence and social change with community leaders, activists, academics and organizers to train, learn, plan and organize to create a culture of liberation and justice for all. Our goal is to create a stimulating environment where scholars, activists, educators, practitioners, artists and students can build community and explore interconnections. We invite participants to engage in various modes of exploration, including papers and presentations, hands-on practitioner workshops and a youth summit. We aim to foster an experience in which attendees will have multiple opportunities to meet and dialogue in both formal and informal settings, against the unique historical backdrop of Memphis, Tennessee.

Participants gain
:

• training and education in nonviolent theory and the tools to engage in social change.

• opportunities for networking and peer-to-peer learning with movement builders from all over the country.
• an entry point for community members to become engaged in movement work.

• involvement in working groups that continue the work throughout the year. 

• the chance to share and inspire action in a cross-cultural and intergenerational environment with people who are new to the movement, as well as movement leaders. 

• the opportunity to learn about the best nonviolent practices and develop new ones based upon participants’ shared experience.

Principal Presenters

The Gandhi-King Conference is visioned, organized and realized by a dedicated group of organizations that work tirelessly to put the vision of building the beloved community into the concrete form of this conference. The 2011 Gandhi-King Conference on Peacemaking is proud to have the following presenting organizations:
• National Civil Rights Museum
• Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
• Metta Center for Nonviolence Education
• BRIDGES
• Pax Christi Memphis

2011 Steering Committee

Barbara Andrews, Co-Chair, National Civil Rights Museum
Shiloh Barnat, Community Leader
Felecia Boyd, City of Memphis
Meredith Davis, National Civil Rights Museum
Jacob Flowers, Co-Chair, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
Allison Glass, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
Dr. Rakesh Goorha, Indian Community Fund
Carolyn Head, Southwest Community College
Dr. Manoj Jain, Indian Community Fund
Gio Lõpez, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
Mike McCullough, UT Martin
Chanchala Mehta, Jain Society of Memphis
Michael Nagler, Metta Center
Beverly Robertson, National Civil Rights Museum
Dorian Spears, Community Leader
Timorie Stewart, BRIDGES
Janice Vanderhaar, Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace
Dana Wilson, BRIDGES