Join us from anywhere in the world for Affirming Leaders Day!
Affirming Leaders Day is a faith-based development & connection day for allied and LGBTQ2S+ folks
Featuring Civil Rights Activist Rev. James Lawson, Queer Singer/Songwriter Semler, and Pop Culture Critic/Scholar/Author Anthony Oliveira!
When: Saturday, May 22, 2021, 10am-4:30pm MDT
Where: Zoom Webinar
Tickets: $15-$30. Every ticket type gives you access to ALL of the sessions.
Peace and Protest: Creating Change with Love and Intention
We explore the ways that our faith calls us to bring justice, love, peace, and hope into the world.
This year we reflect on the ways in which our communities have been strained and constrained by the pandemic and the increasing polarization of an “us vs. them” mentality. How do we resist the urge to “other” others, while still standing our ground and working for justice?
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Rev. James Lawson Jr., Civil Rights Activist
Rev. James Lawson was instrumental in shaping America’s Nonviolent Civil Rights Movement. After incarceration for refusing to report to Korean War draft, he traveled to India to study Ghandi’s principles of nonviolence. After being introduced to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and moving to Nashville, he mentored a number of young students and future civil rights leaders at Vanderbilt, Fisk University, and other area schools in the tactics of nonviolent direct action. His students were instrumental in movements such as the 1963 March on Washington, the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement, and The Freedom Rides, to name a few. Rev. Lawson moved to Los Angeles in 1975, where he was the pastor for 25 years. He continues to be a civil rights activist and teacher on non-violence.
Rev. Lawson will be speaking on our title theme, “Peace and Protest,” and we will have a Q&A with him after his talk.
LIVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE:
Semler, Singer-Songwriter
Semler recently became the first openly queer artist to hit Number 1 on the iTunes Christian music charts with their EP, “Preacher’s Kid.” The project explores Semler’s experience growing up as a queer person of faith. Semler has been featured on NPR, The Washington Post, and Apple Radio. Preacher’s Kid was recorded independently by Semler on a USB mic, and received over a million streams in just a few months.
We will have a Live Performance from Semler along with a special Q&A!
IG: @gracebaldridge
IN DEFENSE OF BLASPHEMY – a talk with:
Anthony Oliveira, PhD, Author, Film Programmer, Pop Culture Critic
Anthony is an award-winning writer of prose fiction, graphic novels, essays, and journalism. He is also a recurring contributor to Marvel Comics, his work for which has won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book. He is the weekly host of The Devil’s Party, a podcast exploring the classics of Christian literature (including John Milton’s poetry and the Gospels) through a queer scholarly lens.
Twitter: @meakoopa
