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The Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr., one of the principal architects of America's Civil Rights Movement and an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the struggle for equal rights in the 1950s and 1960s, will give the keynote address at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)'s Annual Public Gathering in Philadelphia on November 7.

The program, "Let Justice Roll Down," will be held at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Rev. Lawson will speak during the Plenary Session from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. The program, which includes panel discussions on topics of social and economic justice, is free and open to the public.

The Annual Public Gathering is held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the AFSC Corporation, the organization's governing body consisting of Quakers from all around the country. The audience attending the program includes a broadly invited public from non-profit and social service organizations, educational institutions, church congregations and Quaker meetings in the region, and the media. Speakers are invited to highlight social justice issues within a spiritual framework, challenging audiences to find creative ways to put their faith into action.

"We are especially fortunate to have the Rev. Lawson as our speaker this year. His role in one of the defining movements of this century -- the struggle for civil rights for all - as well as his lifelong commitment to nonviolence and reconciliation, hold great meaning for all concerned with building a more peaceful world," said AFSC's Executive Director Kara Newell.

The Rev. Lawson has been hailed by many for his pivotal role in shaping national efforts to end segregation and prejudice against Blacks. He has been called " the teacher of the Movement" by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Dr. King called Lawson the "leading nonviolence theorist in the world." Lawson was credited with instructing and counseling several people who rose to prominent leadership positions within the civil rights movement, including James Bevel, C. T. Vivian, John Lewis, Diane Nash, and Bernard Lafayette.

One of the Rev. Lawson's most notable activities during the early days of the civil rights movement came when, as Southern Secretary of the Fellowship of Reconciliation conducting workshops on nonviolence, he became the chief organizer of the Nashville Sit-in-Movement, which was cited by Dr. King as "the model movement to date."

As an activist in the Christian tradition, the Rev. Lawson has practiced what has come to be known as creative nonviolence. He has traveled to India to study the techniques of Gandhi and has spent time in prison for non-cooperation with the draft during the Korean War.

Currently, the Rev. Lawson is Pastor of the Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California. He hosts a weekly national cable network television show examining current affairs through the lens of compassion and justice.

The Annual Public Gathering also includes three simultaneous panel presentations about AFSC program work that will begin at 3:00 p.m. that day. They include:

• Toward Justice in a Global Economy, moderated by Joyce Miller, director of AFSC's Justice Unit. The panel will cover US-Mexico border issues and the struggle for dignity in the maquiladoras.
• Building Sustainable Systems: The New Challenge for the 21^st Century, moderated by Martin Garate, director of AFSC's International Regions. This panel will include a discussion of ethics and development, ethnicity and development and also focus on AFSC program work in Cambodia that is rebuilding lives of victims of landmine explosions who have lost limbs.
• The Right to Life, Liberty, and the Security of Person, moderated by Susan Segall, interim director, AFSC's Peace Unit. This discussion will touch on AFSC's engagement with international movements to abolish child soldiers and programs aimed at ending the non-military sanctions against Iraq.

The program's title "Let Justice Roll Down," is a biblical reference quoted by Martin Luther King, Jr.: "No, No, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." (from Amos 5:24)

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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.