First in Nonviolence Conferences Series Set for Ramallah and Tel Aviv April 14-15 as Part of Global Vision for MLK III, Realizing the Dream Program

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

With the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a prologue and the tensions of the Middle East as a backdrop, Martin Luther King III will host the first in a series of Nonviolence Conferences geared toward establishing open dialogue in high-conflict regions. The event was organized by Mr. King’s Realizing the Dream organization, now the program arm of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

The April 14 Strengthening Nonviolence In Palestine conference in Ramallah and April 15 Constructive Nonviolent Action conference in Tel Aviv, respectively, are the leading edge of King’s vision to host similar conferences in key regions of conflict around the world, culminating with an International Conference on Nonviolence in January.

“What more appropriate place on the planet for us to begin seeking dialogue and finding common ground than Palestine and Israel?” said King. “If we’re ever to see sustainable peace in this region, then we must get beyond the language of war and politics and begin speaking the language of global community.”

With one session aimed at a primarily Palestinian audience in Ramallah and the second event in Tel Aviv geared toward an Israeli audience, King and The King Center’s Realizing the Dream program will orchestrate the sessions in partnership with prominent regional NGOs – Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (MEND) and the Center for Democracy and Community Development (CDCD), and the Peres Center for Peace, one of Israel’s most noteworthy peace-building organizations.

The conferences represent a first step toward reigniting the now-dormant peace process and breaking the social and political stalemate threatening progress and human rights in the region. By establishing regional dialogue facilitated by local collaborators, Mr. King believes that the strategy will establish a foundation for continued presence in the region, while connecting this regional conflict with its International Nonviolence Initiative. The International Nonviolence Initiative will champion the power of nonviolence as a practical alternative to addressing violence in high-conflict regions of our world.

“Utilizing constructive and cooperative nonviolent means of resistance to affect change may draw fierce reactions by the government and security forces, but this region is at a tipping point,” said King, who notes that a stall in the Mideast peace process portends dire consequences for the entire region, if not the world.

King explained, “We propose exploring the meaning, implications and prospects of constructive nonviolent action from the people themselves as a growing regional force, considered against the motivations of government reaction; the role of Israeli civil society in the Palestinian nonviolent struggle; the borders between constructive nonviolent action and violent struggle; media portrayals of nonviolent action; and how nonviolent action is viewed by security forces.”

King and his team have visited Israel several times in the past 36 months, carrying the organization’s message of nonviolence, mutual respect and a vision of long-term coexistence. The April 2010 conferences will seek to promote this message to both the Israeli and Palestinian communities, with particular emphasis on policy-makers, academics, civil society leaders and social activists.

About Realizing the Dream, Inc.

Founded by Martin L. King III as an international nonprofit organization in 2006, Realizing the Dream now comprises the programmatic arm of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Ga. Its mission is to continue the humanitarian and liberating work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King by rearticulating for this century the challenges and opportunities for championing freedom, justice and equality, while working to redress poverty, build community and foster peace through nonviolence around the world.