Beloved Community International Expo

Imagine taking your family on a trip around the world without ever leaving Atlanta this weekend. The King Center is doing just that. They're bringing cultures, food, music, conversation, and community together for the beloved Community International Expo. It's a celebration of what happens when we learn from one another and discover just how connected that we truly are. So Benita Hampton-Smith, COO of the King Center, is here and she is talking more about this. So happy Labor Day to you, Ms. Benita. Happy Labor Day to you too. We're both working, aren't we? Here we go. You know what? And this is an important cause to talk about, an important event that's coming up. So let's get into it. Let's talk about just the global experience that families will have when they show up to this this coming weekend. Absolutely. Well, when you first enter, you're going to get a passport. You get a passport and you get to travel around the world on Auburn Avenue. We have 29 countries and six continents represented on Saturday. We'll have about 19 cultural experiences on the stage. So you literally get to experience the world on Auburn Avenue. That's amazing. Without ever having to leave the city, you got to love this. And we're looking at some video of years past. I mean, this is a big deal. And you mentioned just the number of countries and experiences and activations. This is perfect for the whole family. So let's get into why you feel like, you know, the idea behind this, the beloved community. Why is this concept so central to the King Center's mission? Because it really does fit right in. Oh, absolutely. You know, our our goal is to create the beloved community, a world where injustice is ceased and love prevails. Dr. King and Mrs. King both believe that the beloved community was possible if we're just willing. So this expo will bring that experience alive where you get to honor culture, you get to honor one another's decency and dignity. We get to experience the beloved community, the essence of it. What does it mean for us all to be treated with dignity and respect? So as you go throughout these countries, you get to honor that culture. We're living in a society where there's such polarization and we don't understand our differences. We hope that you get to understand our differences, honor it and respect it. That's what's important about the beloved community. Just leading with a love centered consciousness in all that we do as we experience one another. So you mentioned the passports, which I love events like this where you get the passport. I'm going to guess a central part of this is going around. You get you experience the things and you get the stickers or the stamp or whatever. You go to each country, you get a sticker, a stamp. Yeah. You can go to Korea. We have we have Korea. We have Canada. We have Barbados. We have like I said, we have twenty nine different countries. We also have a plethora of food trucks. So we have about 19 food trucks. I believe it's 19 19 food trucks. So you get a chance to experience different food, different cultures. You get to understand their faith. We also have an interfaith discussion happening. So you'll have a kid zone. So bring your children. Kids have caricatures. Dr. Bernice A. King will be reading her book. So it's just a fun day for family. And I hope that people come out and really get an opportunity to feel what Dr. King and Mrs. King meant when they said we're all in this world house and we're interrelated and we're interconnected. Let's get to know each other and honor that. Very, very nice. OK, something else that's happening in all this. And you've already said a lot, right, just between the booths that are going to be there. And you mentioned Dr. Bernice King is going to be reading her book. So you have that going on as well. But the equitable meal is returning. So what is that all about? So you get a chance to sit down and deal with societal issues over dinner. So the children and adults and their families can come in, take part of a meal, but also have a conversation about issues that matter, whether it's democracy, racism, whatever those issues are. We're going to discuss them over a meal and get an understanding. The goal of this expo is for us to leave with a level of love center consciousness and an understanding about each other so we can work well together. Well, how do you get a seat at that table? Show up. You just show up. Absolutely. First come, first serve. So once you get to the King Center, head to the screening room because that's where the dinners are going to take place. So show up and those dinners will start about 12 o'clock. So get there about 11 o'clock and make sure you get your name on the list. Yeah. I mean, I can imagine that is an experience. It, you know, I was there last year. And the thing about Out of Hands Atlanta is not only is it a dinner, but they also do interpretation through drama. So they are dramatizing the issue. So it becomes real for you to experience it. So it's so powerful. I suggest that you bring your children, bring the entire family because it's a learning experience. So you get to enjoy culture, but you also get to learn. Yeah. And even better when you're doing that as a family. And over food. And over food. Great, great food. Yeah. That's a good point. Yeah. What do you, what do you hope that, that the big takeaways are from, from this event for folks? You know, in this world where we're so polarized and there's so, so many misunderstandings about culture, about who we are as a people, we hope that you come and discover our interrelatedness, our interconnectedness, and leave with a commitment to be a part of creating a better world. We got to leave something better for our children. And now is the time for us to work towards that. So come and experience the beloved community and leave with that understanding and concept to do something, to make it a reality. Mrs. King said, it's possible if people are willing and committed. It's powerful. Yeah, it truly is. I want to ask you this too, before we let you go, and kind of a personal note, it is Labor Day, like we mentioned, what is it that you love about what, about what you do and where you do it? You know what I love about working at the King Center? We teach nonviolence and I believe everybody in the world needs to learn nonviolence because it's a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting, and engaging that leads to personal, societal, and cultural transformation. I love that I get to work and teach people about love. Nonviolence is what I love about the mission and what I love about what I get to do. I get to teach that and share that with the world. That's incredible. When do you get to work and teach people about love? It's beautiful. Yeah, it's amazing. What a blessing. And you get to, you know, share special events like the one that is happening this weekend. Special events, King holiday. We get to carry on the legacy of Dr. King and Mrs. King and that legacy is a legacy of love. I love this. Ms. Bonita Hamden-Smith with the King Center hanging with us today giving us all the details of what's happening this weekend. So it's so good to have you here. Thank you for sharing this with us. So good to be here. Happy Labor Day again. Happy Labor Day to you and to all of you watching at home as well. So the beloved Community International Expo that Ms. Bonita has been sharing with us, it's happening this weekend. It's from 11 to 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the King Center and that's located at 449 Auburn Avenue Northeast in Atlanta.