National Interfaith Gathering to Honor Dr. King Birthday & Obama Inaugural

Media Advisory

Contacts:

• Ethan Vesely-Flad, editor@forusa.org, 510-701-5267
• Samina Faheem Sundas, samina_faheem@yahoo.com, 650-387-1994

National Interfaith Gathering to Honor Dr. King Birthday & Obama Inaugural

What:     Leaders of diverse national religious groups will unite in the nation’s capital on Monday evening to mark the historic confluence of Barack Obama’s inauguration and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.  “Rebirthing King, Rebirthing America” will celebrate this historic moment in our nation’s history by putting forward a positive vision, in the spirit of Dr. King, to end poverty, war, and discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.

“At this historic moment, I am honored to join with other people of faith to pay tribute to Dr. King’s legacy,” said the Rev. Bill Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Sinkford, the first African-American leader of the denomination, said, “Dr. King understood that we can’t choose one just cause at the expense of another; we can’t wait for ‘a better time’ to do the right thing.   He understood that the forces threatening peace, prosperity, and equality had to be fought simultaneously if there was to be any true progress. It is my hope that our new administration will be inspired by his example when facing the complex challenges that lie ahead.”

The event will feature an extraordinary gathering of representatives from Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, and other faiths.  Included among them are:

• Dr. Vincent Harding, a close friend of Dr. King and the speechwriter for much of King’s famous 1967 “A Time to Break the Silence” speech;
• Andrew Marin, an Evangelical Christian leader, who will address homophobia;
• Rabbi Michael Lerner, founder of the Tikkun community and best-selling author;
• Rev. Sharon Watkins, president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), who made media headlines this week for accepting President-elect Obama’s invitation to preach on Wednesday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast; and
• Mubarak Awad, executive director of Nonviolence International.

Where:    All Souls Church, Unitarian

1500 Harvard Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

When:     Monday, January 19, 2009

5:00 p.m. – candlelight vigil (outside)

5:30 p.m. – worship service (inside)

Visuals:         Multigenerational, racially & religiously diverse gathering of hundreds of people. Candlelight vigil, with signs, held on evening prior to Presidential Inauguration.  Sound bites and images of elders who worked with Dr. King passing on wisdom to next generation of emerging progressive activists, including Obama volunteers & supporters.

Sponsor:       Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership