February 25, 2003

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Bud Bunce (503) 233-8373
bbunce@archdpdx.org

Annual "Peace-ing It Together" conference to be held March 15

        The annual Peace-ing It Together conference will be held on Saturday,
March 15 at Holy Redeemer Church (25 N. Portland Blvd, Portland). Georgia
Congressman John Lewis will be the featured speaker. His talk is entitled: Walking with
the Wind: the Civil Rights Movement – Then and Now." The conference begins at
10:00 a.m., and continues until 12 noon, when a reception will be held. The program
will begin and end with the Holy Redeemer Gospel Youth Choir. The cost of the
conference is $5.00 at the door.

        John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing personal
dignity and building what he calls "The Beloved Community."

        John Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940 outside of
Troy, Alabama. He grew up on his family's farm and attended segregated public
schools in Pike County, Alabama. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and
Philosophy from Fisk University; and he is a graduate of the American Baptist
Theological Seminary in Nashville Tennessee. He has been awarded numerous
honorary degrees from colleges and universities throughout the United States, including
Clark Atlanta University, Duke University, Howard University, Brandeis University,
Columbia University, Fisk University, Morehouse College, Princeton University and
Williams College.

        John Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Martin
Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize and the NAACP Spingarn Medal. John Lewis
is also the recipient of the John F. Kennedy "Profile in Courage Award" for lifetime
achievement and the National Education Association Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Award.

        In 1961, John Lewis volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which were
organized to challenge segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South. During
the height of the Civil Rights Movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis was the Chairman of
the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. SNCC
was largely responsible for the sit-ins and other activities of students in the struggle for
civil rights. At age 23, Lewis was one of the planners and a keynote speaker at the
historic "March on Washington" in August 1963.

        In 1977, John Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more
than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency. He was elected to
the Atlanta City Council in 1981. In 1986 he was elected to Congress representing
Georgia's fifth Congressional District. He continues to serve the greater Atlanta area,
as its representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A book signing and reception will follow the conference.

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