The year 1963 was marked by a tumultuous, often violent – and sometimes deadly – series of events that set a new course for civil rights throughout the country.

In commemoration of the 60^th anniversary of that year, a national conference – There IS A Balm In Gilead, Healing from the Events of 1963 – will be held Sept. 12-14 at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. The event is presented by The Historic Bethel Baptist Church Community Restoration Fund, Alabama African-American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium, The Minnesota Humanities Center, Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel, Alabama Humanities Alliance and Jefferson County Commissioner LaShunda Scales.

“What happened in 1963 changed not only the city but inspired similar movements for human and civil rights across the nation and around the world,” said Thomas Wilder, pastor of Historic Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham’s Collegeville neighborhood. “Survivors still express remorse and weep whenever they share what they experienced during that time, and the aim of this conference is to not only remember what happened, but to bring about understanding, reconciliation and redemption.”

The conference will feature nationally known speakers and facilitators with keynote addresses and 38 interactive breakout sessions. In addition to the individual speakers, there will be roundtable and panel discussions, and a special workshop track for classroom teachers.

“We want to have a conversation about what took place and its impact, yes, but we want to look to the future with hope through understanding and move toward healing from those wounds laid bare in 1963,” Wilder said.

Tony Evans

Hasan Jeffries

Elizabeth Silkes

Kevin Lindsey

Rose McGee

Steve Haynes

T. Marie King

Wayne Gordon

Keynote speakers include:

• Tony Evans is one of the country’s most respected leaders in evangelical circles. He is a pastor, best-selling author and frequent speaker at Bible conferences and seminars throughout the nation. He is senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, which has grown from 10 people to now over 10,000 congregants with 100-plus ministries. Evans is founder and president of The Urban Alternative, a Christian Bible teaching and resource ministry. His radio broadcast, “The Alternative with Tony Evans,” can be heard on more than 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Baylor University named him one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World, and he wrote and published the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American.
• Hasan Jeffries, an associate professor of history at Ohio State University. An author, scholar, podcaster and editor, he was lead historian and primary scriptwriter for the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., the site of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. His Tedx Talk, “Why we must confront the painful parts of U.S. history,” has earned more than 2 million views. He is the author of “Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt.”
• Elizabeth Silkes, executive director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, a coalition of more than 300 museums, historic sites and memory initiatives in 65 countries. Through its networks, it develops innovative public engagement and human rights programs dedicated to transforming places that preserve the past into dynamic spaces promoting civil action on human rights and social justice issues.
• Kevin Lindsey serves as the CEO of the Minnesota Humanities Center. A widely respected public policy advocate and lawyer, Lindsey previously served in the cabinet of the Minnesota governor as the commissioner of the Department of Human Rights. Lindsey’s career has focused on leveraging personal stories, finding solutions to complex problems and building an inclusive democracy for all.
• Rose McGee is founder of the internationally recognized Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, a catalyst for caring and building community. She is author of the book, “Story Circle Stories” and the play, “Kumbayah: The Juneteenth Story.” After the murder of George Floyd, McGee’s response with community sweet potato pie-baking and caring delivery prompted NBC Nightly News, The Washington Post and other media to cite her as one of their top positive stories in 2020. In 2021, she was recognized by the Japanese media as one of 50 top inspirational stories in the world during COVID-19. She is featured in the PBS documentary, “A Few Good Pie Places,” and has a TEDx Talk, “The Power of Pie.” Her children’s book, “Can’t Nobody Make A Sweet Potato Comfort Pie Like Our Mama,” is slated to be released this summer by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
• Stephen R. Haynes holds a Ph.D. in religion and literature from Emory University, a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary, a master’s degree from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Haynes has been at Rhodes College since 1989 and offers courses on the Holocaust, the Bible and its reception, religion and reconciliation, and religion and addiction. He has research interests in Jewish-Christian relations and the biblical justifications for slavery and segregation, among other topics. Since 2016 he has directed the Rhodes Liberal Arts in Prison Program at West Tennessee State Penitentiary.
• T. Marie King is an Emmy-nominated film producer and director of Youth Pathways and Experiences with Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham. She also is a consultant and adviser on the creation of equitable spaces, and an expert in facilitating difficult conversations and challenging audiences through her lectures to do the necessary self-work to become an active player in communal change. A trained Empathetic and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation facilitator, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Global Economic Development, a master’s in Leadership and a Master of Divinity. She co-produced her first full-length documentary on the unsung hero and civil rights icon, the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, in 2022.
• Wayne L. Gordon is founding pastor of Lawndale Community Church and chairman of the Christian Community Development Association. He is a graduate of Wheaton College and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his Doctor of Ministry from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is affectionately known as “Coach,” playing a key role in numerous community development issues. He is a co-founder of Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago, a healthcare ministry seeing over 150,000 patients per year. For more than 35 years, his life has exemplified breaking down all racial barriers to pave the way for God’s truth in people’s lives.

To learn more about the conference, view the schedule and register, click here.