The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
The John Hope Franklin Center (JHF Center) for Reconciliation enters its 10th year in hosting the Reconciliation in America National Symposium from May 29-31 at the Hyatt Regency Tulsa. The theme for the symposium this year is “Civic Engagement and Reconciliation: The Survival of Democracy.” Civic engagement as Reconciliation, the focal point for the Center’s 2019 programs and discussions for this year, unites everyone as change agents, researchers of effective practices, and peacemakers in the intentional journey of reconciliation. By convening global scholars and practitioners, the John Hope Franklin Center hopes to promote a dialogue among those who work to bridge societal divides.
This year’s symposium will feature over 30 presenters, including U.S. Senator James Lankford and Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, two national keynote speakers (Kenneth B. Morris and Jahkil Naeem Jackson), and special programming for youth during the symposium.
Kenneth B. Morris is the Co-Founder & President of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, author of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave and an accomplished and prolific public speaker. As the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington, Mr. Morris continues his family’s legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as co-founder and president of the Atlanta-based nonprofit Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI).
“One special highlight of symposium this year is our intentional youth focus. We hope to facilitate60 generational connections with our youth as civic change agents with our adults,” stated 2019 Symposium Chair, Dr. Dewayne Dickens. To engage youth, the youth keynote speaker is Jahkil Naeem Jackson, an 11 year old social entrepreneur. As the Founder of Project I Am, it is Jahkil’s mission to build awareness of homeless and to help the homeless population by offering them “Blessing Bags.”
The Symposium’s Opening Session, which is free to the public, begins on Wednesday, May 29 at 6:00pm at the Greenwood Cultural Center. Further Symposium sessions will take place at the Hyatt Regency Tulsa from May 30-31, 2019. For more event details and to register for the 2019 National Symposium, visit JHF Center online at www.jhfcenter.org/national-symposium.
