Equal Justice Initiative
The Equal Justice Initiative will host a Concert for Peace and Justice on April 27 in Montgomery, Alabama in celebration of the opening National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum. The concert will feature Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, the Roots, Common, Usher, Gary Clark Jr., Kirk Franklin, and special guests.
The concert closes out two days of events to celebrate the memorial's opening; the days will be filled with lectures and discussion as part of the Peace and Justice Summit. Speakers for those events include Al Gore, Gloria Steinem, Ava DuVernary, Janet Mock, and several others.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is the nation's first comprehensive memorial dedicated to racial terror lynchings of African Americans and the legacy of slavery and racial inequality in America. It draws inspiration from the lack of memorials to victims of lynching, and will act an invitation for those memorials to be built, encouraging counties to retrieve columns marking victims from its borders and place them on their own land.
"There is still so much to be done in this country to recover from our history of racial inequality," said EJI Director Bryan Stevenson in a press release. "I'm hopeful that sites like the ones we are building and conversations like the ones we're organizing will empower and inspire people to have the courage to create a more just and healthy future. We can achieve more in America when we commit to truth-telling about our past."
The memorial will officially open on Thursday, April 26, and its opening ceremony will include performances from Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Bebe Winans. John Lewis will speak. For tickets and more information, go here.