The Selma Times-Journal

Peace and love – two simple, yet powerful words at the forefront of Selma’s first-ever Peace Summit, starting Friday at 4 p.m. at the School of Discovery’s Pickard Auditorium.

According to event coordinators, the Peace Summit is a means to “work towards embracing the principals of non-violence used by Dr. King and others during the Civil Rights Movement as well as finding ways to relate to young people engaged in and lured towards violence in an effort to move Selma forward toward a more peaceful, violence-free community…”

The 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute (NVRMI), the Coalition of Alabamians Reforming Education and the Black Belt Arts and Cultural Center are sponsoring the summit.

Those who attend the summit will

witness the exclusive local premiere of the documentary “Gangster with a Heart of Gold: The Noonie G Story.” The documentary – narrated by hip-hop artists Kanye West and Common – follows the life of Harold “Noonie G” Ward, a former high ranking member of the Gangster Disciples, one of the largest crime organization in the U.S. Ward, who will make an appearance at Friday’s Peace Summit, has since given up his gangster life to become a legitimate Chicago businessman and philanthropist.

Peace Summit participants will have an opportunity to win a trip to Chicago for the documentary’s world premiere in August.

Others to make an appearance at the summit include University of Rhode Island professor Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a former aide to Martin Luther King Jr. and a non-violence trainer and several youth motivational speakers.

For more information on the Peace Summit, call (334) 874-0065 or (334) 875-9264.