The 2011 Journal of Law and Religion Fall Symposium
Hamline University, September 23, 2011
When Faith and Law Collide:
Revisiting Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail
"I agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’” So begins Martin Luther King’s classic response, in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” to the charge leveled against civil rights activists that it was unreasonable to appeal to law in defense of one’s rights while disobeying laws in the pursuit of justice. The 2011 Journal of Law and Religion Fall Symposium will revisit the story behind the composition of “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” the questions it addressed, and the questions it continues to raise.
Symposium events include:
1. A dialogue on the Letter with
—John Harrington, State Senator and former St. Paul Chief of Police
—Harry Boyte, SCLC field secretary and assistant to Martin Luther King
2. Panel discussions on the sources cited in the Letter. Panelists include
—Pamela Alexander, Council on Crime and Justice, former State District Judge
—Rolf Jacobson, Luther Seminary
—Howard Lesnick, University of Pennsylvania School of Law
—John Mazis, Hamline University history department
—Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, University of St. Thomas peace and justice program
—Timothy Polk, Hamline University religion department
—Jim Scheibel, Hamline School of Business, former Mayor of St. Paul
—Deanna Thompson, Hamline University religion department
3. Keynote address:
“Letter From Birmingham Jail—From Whom, To Whom?”
Carlton Waterhouse, Indiana University School of Law
4. Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon honoring
—Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im who has been in the forefront of efforts to identify the concerns for human rights that Islamic, Christian and Jewish societies share. He has courageously advocated for democratic principles and human rights in Sudan and Muslim-majority countries throughout the world while he has worked on a better understanding of Islam in the West.
Registrants will receive a critical, annotated edition of Letter from Birmingham Jail, prepared and published by the Journal of Law and Religion for the symposium.
The 2011 Journal of Law and Religion Fall Symposium is sponsored by:
Journal of Law and Religion
Hamline University School of Law
Hamline College of Liberal Arts Department of Religion and Social Justice Program
Wesley Center for Spirituality, Service and Social Justice
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