New Mexico Fusion Coalition Summit Rescheduled for June 29

A Vision and Strategy Retreat; Creating a Fusion Coalition for People of Faith Conscience, which had been scheduled for April 13-14 was postponed because of unforeseen circumstances. Happily, the event, featuring  Rev. William Barber, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 29, 9:00 am-4:00 pm, and is now entitled Common Ground for the Common Good.

This statewide leadership summit will be held at the Canossian Spirituality and Retreat Center, 5625 Isleta Blvd. SW in Albuquerque (map), the same location as the April summit. Registration fee is $15. (In honor of the Fight for $15 Minimum Wage Campaign).

Rev. Barber will facilitate local efforts to create a fusion coalition in New Mexico for faith leaders, youth advocates and community organizers. As we mentioned in an earlier post, Rev. Barber is especially suited to lead this effort. He is founder of the Forward Together Moral Movement, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP in North Carolina, and pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Greensboro, N.C. Prominent theologian Cornel West has gone as far as to describe Rev. Barber as "the closest person we have to Martin Luther King, Jr. in our midst."

"Dr. Barber and this coalition has aided in the passage of the Racial Justice Act of 2009, which allowed death row inmates to appeal their sentences on the grounds of racial bias in the court system; and successfully advocated for voting reforms such as same-day registration and early voting, and has re-framed marriage equality as a civil rights issue and helped mobilized black churches to support a ballot initiative in 2012," said the North Carolina NAACP

Now that we've established Rev. Barber's impressive credentials, the next question is what is a fusion coalition? The closest example would the  Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) Peoples Assembly Coalition, a broad alliance of more than 140 progressive organizations, with over 2 million memberships. The coalition has come together to champion a 14 point anti-racism, anti-poverty, anti-war agenda. This article in The Nation magazine has more information.

Canossian Spirituality & Retreat Center

Click here to register now Space is limited.
(This link will also provide information regarding housing for Tuesday and/or Wednesday night).

For more information and/or to register contact Rev. Holly Beaumont: hbeaumont@iwj.org or 505-660-5018