A presentation on Dr.

Kings legacy and its connection with the Middle East

By Kim Leaston
February 20, 2016

Guest speaker Dr. Dumisani Washington leads lecture at UNC Charlotte on MLKs work
with Civil Rights and its link to Israels Zionist Movement.

Across the nation, the struggles and accomplishments of black history are recognized and
remembered in the month of February. In taking that a step further, UNC Charlottes student
chapter of Christians United for Israel will be presenting a lecture by pastor, author, and teacher Dr.
Dumisani Washington.

According to the organizations UNCC information page, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) is a
student run activist group centered on spreading the truth of Israel as the only Democratic nation in
the Middle East. On a national level, the group estimates its membership at over 2 million since its
establishment in 2006. The group offers student chapters on over 300 college campuses across the
U.S. The CUFI On Campus branch has been active since 2009 and aims to provide advocacy
training to college students in order to enable them to more effectively spread the Pro-Israel
message to their peers.

Washington is the Diversity Outreach Coordinator for the national chapter of CUFI. He is also an
advocate for the growing support of a Jewish state in Israel by Americas minority communities.
When asked why the group chose Dr. Washington as the speaker, Megan Wellman, the CUFI
contact for the event had this to say, This speaker always does an amazing job connecting the
black community to Israel which we thought was very timely.

During the lecture, Washington will discuss how Kings work reflected a pro-Israel position and what
that should mean for blacks as well as other minority communities. He will also explore the
connection between Americas Civil Rights Movement and Israels Zionist Movement.

The Zionist Movement or Zionism as it is also known began in the late 19th century in Europe and is
considered to be a movement of Jewish nationalism. Zionism at its core pushed for the return of
Jews to Palestine. The impact of unfavorable conditions in Europe for the Jewish community led to
years of activism in hopes of gaining the recognition of a Jewish state in Palestine and the
safeguards that it could provide. CUFI is one of the organizations still actively seeking this through
the support of the Christian community.
Event Details:
Shared Dreams: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Israel
Presented by: Christians United for Israel
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 17 at 7:00pm
Location: College of Health & Human Services 155
Cost: Free
For more information on the lecture, contact Megan
at cufiuncc@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: CUFI UNCC

For more information on Dr. Washington and his work you can find it on his website:
Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel at www.ibsi-now.org. To learn more about
Christians United for Israel and their cause please visit www.cufi.org or the UNC
Charlotte chapters Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CUFIUNCC.