The Rev. Bernice A. King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, will serve as keynote speaker for the 2023 International Peace Conference in Birmingham.

The two-day immersive experience is slated to take place May 4-6 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in downtown.

The Rotary International District 6860 (North and Central Alabama), in partnership with The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Institute for Human Rights at UAB, will host the conference.

“As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Children’s March in Birmingham, I believe that we desperately need the reminder this anniversary provides of the combined power of love, nonviolent strategy and consistency to purpose,” Bernice King said in a news release.

“Courageous, committed children were willing to be inconvenienced to overcome injustice. That same courage and commitment are needed today, and this commemoration is a call up to both,” she said. “I am hopeful that we all, from the nation’s Capitol to city halls, from homes to houses of worship, and from chambers of commerce to corporations, will answer the call.”

In 1963, Birmingham was at the center of the civil rights movement with leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and the Revs. Fred Shuttlesworth and Ralph Abernathy, working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and other organizations to develop a nonviolent plan to desegregate Birmingham, considered one of the most segregated cities in the United States.

On May 2, 1963, thousands of children began a peaceful protest in Birmingham to help raise awareness about the lack of equality and the many injustices happening in the city. These young activists were met with violence from authorities, and in many cases the children were injured and jailed. Images of police using high-pressure water hoses and snarling police dogs on the children were seen across the globe. The event that became known as the Birmingham Children’s Crusade changed history.

“We are extremely excited and honored to have Dr. Bernice A. King, a true peacebuilder in her own right who is also part of a remarkable family history, as one of our keynote speakers,” said Will Ratliff, chairperson of the 2023 International Peace Conference.

“Not only will she serve as a keynote speaker for the International Peace Conference but also for the Youth Peace Conference, a partner event that will host over 300 youth participants,” he said. “Dr. King joins a roster of over 70 guest speakers from all over the United States, Asia, Africa and Europe. We know she will inspire everyone in attendance.”

With the theme “Imagine Peace. Build Peace,” organizers say the conference will bring together Rotarians, non-Rotarians and distinguished leaders in academia, government, public safety, religion, business and community service to share ideas and propose solutions to some of society’s most complex challenges.

The Rev. Bernice King. (LBJ Presidential Library)

Among the issues to be addressed at the conference are human trafficking, education, racial injustice, empowerment of women and girls, and violence reduction.

Bernice King is a well-known orator, peace advocate and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center), which was founded by her mother to advance her parents’ legacy of nonviolent social change through policy, advocacy, research, education and training.

Others set to speak at the International Peace Conference include Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin; Jennifer Jones, president of Rotary International (Windsor, Ontario, Canada); Odessa Woolfolk, founding president and chair emerita of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute; Ravi Ravindran, past president of Rotary International (Columbo, Sri Lanka); Steven Killelea, founder and CEO of the Institute for Economics and Peace (Sydney, Australia); Felicia Beard, senior director, Racial Equity Initiatives for the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo (Buffalo, New York); Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation and Transcendental Meditation spokesperson (New York); and Rev. Becca Stevens, founder and CEO of Thistle Farms (Nashville, Tennessee).

To learn more about the 2023 International Peace Conference, visit www.peaceconference2023bham.com

This story originally appeared in the Birmingham Times.