**IMPORTANT UPDATE: Previous Conference in Atlanta Now Moved to Washington, D.C. With Exact Date and Time TBA**

FORGING PEACE IN A VIOLENT WORLD: A Summit on Race, Guns, and America’s Love Affair with Killing FOR Dressing the Madness of Violence Since 1915

Key Topics:

• Finding Ways to STOP THE KILLINGS!
  Explore comprehensive strategies and community-based initiatives to curb the escalating violence.
• America’s Love-Affair with Guns
  Examine the cultural and historical factors that have ingrained firearms deeply into American society.
• The Role of Race and Class in Gun Violence
  Discuss how socioeconomic factors and racial disparities contribute to the prevalence and impact of gun violence.

Event Description:

Join us for a critical and timely summit focused on the urgent issue of gun violence in America, a crisis that has deep roots in the complex interplay of race, class, and the nation’s historical fascination with firearms. This summit, hosted by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), aims to delve into the multifaceted aspects of violence in the United States and seek actionable solutions to end the bloodshed.

Key Topics:

• Finding Ways to STOP THE KILLINGS!
  Explore comprehensive strategies and community-based initiatives to curb the escalating violence.
• America’s Love-Affair with Guns
  Examine the cultural and historical factors that have ingrained firearms deeply into American society.
• The Role of Race and Class in Gun Violence
  Discuss how socioeconomic factors and racial disparities contribute to the prevalence and impact of gun violence.

Context and Statistics:

According to Everytown for Gun Safety:

• Between 2015 and 2022, over 19,000 individuals in the U.S. were shot and either killed or wounded in mass shootings.
• 1 in 4 mass shooters involved in incidents with four or more fatalities were legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
• Shootings involving assault weapons resulted in more than twice as many fatalities as those without.
• In 32% of mass shootings, the shooter exhibited dangerous warning signs before the incident.
• 46% of mass shootings involved the perpetrator targeting a current or former intimate partner or family member.

Local Focus: Washington, D.C.:

• The majority of victims and suspects in both homicides and nonfatal shootings are Black males aged 18-34.
• Despite comprising only 46% of D.C.’s population, Black residents accounted for 96% of victims and suspects in these violent incidents.

National Perspective:

• A growing number of Americans (58%) believe that reducing crime should be a top priority for government leaders, a significant increase from 47% at the start of President Biden’s term.
• There is a pervasive belief that crime is rising, even when official statistics indicate a decrease.
• In 2022, Black Americans were perceived to be offenders in violent incidents at twice their proportion of the population, and men significantly more than women.

Why Attend?

This summit provides an invaluable platform for scholars, activists, policymakers, and community members to come together, share insights, and forge a path forward to reduce gun violence. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the roots of this epidemic and equipped with innovative strategies to effect change in their communities.

Join us as we strive to address and dismantle the cycles of violence that have plagued our society for far too long. Together, we can find ways to stop the killing and build a safer, more equitable future.

FOR Spring 2024 Conference Advisory Committee:

• Rev. Fahed Abuakel, Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta; 
• Linda Alvarez, Fellowship of Reconciliation National Council (FOR-NC) member, adjunct professor at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), owner of the only feminist mobile bookstore in the U.S.; People Called Women (PCW), LLC.; 
• Rania Batrice, legislative, human rights, communication, gun violence victims strategist; 
• Dr. James Zogby, founder, and President, Arab American Institute; 
• Ron Hampton former Executive Director of the National Black Police Association; 
• Rev. Chris Ney, FOR-NC co-chair, pastor of Central Congregational Church (UCC) in Newburyport, MA.; 
• Shane Claiborne, Red Letter Christians, RAW Tools, and more
• Ellen Lindeen, FOR-NC member. Professor Emeritus
• Morgan Artyukhina, journalist, trans-rights activist
• Rev. Dr. Susan Smith, ordained minister and the founder of Crazy Faith Ministries in Columbus, Ohio, serves on People For the American Way Foundation’s African American Ministers In Action. 
• Dr. Nina Turner, educator, activist, senior fellow at the Institute of Race, Power, and the Political Economy, former Ohio State Senator
• Rabbi May Ye of Mending Minyan congregation in New Haven. CT, Fellowship of Reconciliation 2023-24 Wink Fellow;
• Rev. Dr. Tyrone Pitts, general secretary emeritus for the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., works with New Baptist Covenant, racial justice activist with the National Council of Churches, and chair of the Morehouse School of Religion Board of Directors;
• Rev. William Lamar, IV, senior pastor of the historic, nearly 2,000-member Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C. 
• Ms. Jacqueline Luqman, Mid-Atlantic coordinator of the Black Alliance for Peace, Host on The Real News Network, and pan-Africanist
• Rev. Dr. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC. 
• Rev. Patricia Fears, Senior Pastor, Fellowship Baptist Church

We look forward to seeing you (either in-person or virtually), along with the rest of our Beloved Community.