NCOE supports Organization of American Historians (OAH) pushback on White House report
August 4, 2026
We, the members of the National Council of Elders (NCOE) fully endorse the July 6, 2025, the National Association of Historians, Statement on the White House Report, “Saving America’s Story.” OAH | Statement on the White House Report, “Saving America’s Story”
Moreover, we commend Dr. Lonnie Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, for his uncompromising commitment “to tell the fullness of America’s story,” and his courageous efforts ensure that both the breadth and complexity of this story is reflected throughout the Smithsonian Institution.
The National Council of Elders understands that without access to the ability to critically analyze, debate, and interpret American history, it is impossible to create, strengthen and sustain the culture of peace rooted in justice and life affirming ways of living to which we are committed. We recognize that the destruction of cultural institutions including institutions such as the Smithsonian represents a key component of the work of anti-democratic forces. Such actions represent a stark contrast to the guarantees of freedom of expression and thought enshrined in the United States constitution.
Session #2--BEGIN AGAIN: Is America Possible? View the Full Webinar
Elder Zoharah Simmons at the No Kings Day rally in Gainesville, FL. March 28, 2026
Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus
Is America Possible? — April 4th Riverside Church, NYC
On the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States–six decades after Martin Luther King Jr warned that the U.S. is approaching a “spiritual death”– It is time for us to …
Begin Again, Session #1
Session #1: How Do We Begin Again in the Face of Collapse?
View the full webinar here.
Additional video segments from Begin Again, Session #1
Opening Segment "Blessed Be"
Co-Host Serena Bian with Norma Wong and Youngers, Session #1
Co-Host Lucas Johnson speaks with Prof. Eddie Glaude, Jr.
James Baldwin Clip, KBS Begin Again Session #1
Unedited: Co-Host Serena Bian with Norma Wong and Youngers, Session #1
KBS End of Begin Again, Session #1 with Elder Junius Williams
First Person: What does "Begin Again" mean to you?
Watch our webinar: From Chaos 2 Community
The world as we have known it is rapidly fading. Authoritarian powers are attempting to hold on to the power and privileges of a few. Yet in communities across the globe people are organizing to create a more human, just, and loving world.
Rev. Nontombi Tutu recently joined the National Council of Elders and will co-host our webinar with elder Zoharah Simmons for a conversation exploring efforts to free our minds, bodies and souls. Drawing on a deep history of the movements of the 20th Century that called upon liberation and spirit-rooted actions, we share the possibilities of creating a future that is so urgently needed. Join the conversation!
Elder Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, will co-host our webinar–From Chaos 2 Community — with elder Zoharah Simmons. Nontombi will discuss her recent trip to the West Bank and the crisis in Gaza. MORE
Rev. Rodney S. Sadler Jr. is Associate Professor of Bible and Director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, NC. MORE
Pastor Barry Randolph As pastor, Detroit’s Church of the Messiah, of has grown from 41 members in 2002 to nearly 200 members–mostly African-American males between ages 16-30–today. MORE
KBS Elders' News
“It’s gotten worse since they killed King. What is required now is a deeper commitment by a greater array of people to qualitatively transform this nation from what it has become to being more of a Beloved Community.”
-Rev. Nelson Johnson, Elder
1943-2025
ELECTION 2024: WHAT NOW?
Barbara Smith–Elder, writer, publisher and activist–along with Melissa Murray (NYU Law professor, MSNBC legal analyst) and Paul Ortiz (Professor of Labor History at Cornell University) discuss our political situation in the US and ways to move forward.
Elders speaking out...
Aljosie Aldrich Harding
"We have to become the ones we have been waiting for..."
Part 1
Part 2
“One of the most significant moments in U.S. history…”
Rev. James Lawson (1928-2024), founding member of the National Council of Elders
Art & Healing
Artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons in part 1 of our conversation with elders Kathy Sanchez and Frances Reid
Art & Healing Pt. 2
Campos-Pons and elders Kathy Sanchez and Frances Reid discuss working with young people and Campos-Pons’ “A Mother’s River of Tears”
Chicago
with Zoharah Simmons and Frank Joyce
Liberating Art
A conversation between elder Bill Wylie-Kellerman and painter, Omari Booker.
Nashville
Rahim Buford of Unheard Voices Outreach
North Carolina
with Rev. Nelson Johnson & Joyce Johnson
Where do you find it?
Email us at info@kingandbreakingsilence.org
Denver
Janet Wolf speaks with artist, Ndume Olatushani who spent 20 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit.
National Council of Elders calls upon university presidents to listen to the voices of their students, remove police from campuses
Veteran Civil Rights and Peace Activists Support Student | Movement in Solidarity with Palestine.
Watch the Decolonization Webinar
Featuring Our Panelist
Dina Gilio-Whitaker
Author of "As long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Envirormental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock"
S. Lily Mendoza
Professor Oakland University Between the Homeland and Diaspora of Politics of Theorizing Filipino and Filipino American Identities
Lisa Natividad
Professor at the University of Guam. Primary convener of the Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice.
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Awareness
When Dr. King “Broke the Silence” on Vietnam, he called for a radical revolution of values. That revolution forces us to question the fairness and justice of our policies and look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth and the justness of war. Our work involves building awareness around what the “triple evils” of racism, militarism and materialism look like in today’s world.
Education
Our “Breaking the Silence” conversation series brings together thinkers, activists and leaders to discuss issues of justice and peace that are relevant to the 21st century. Inspired by Dr. King’s articulation of the “giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism” our programming is created with the intention of educating, resourcing and connecting individuals. organizations, schools, churches etc.
Action
On April 4, 1967–one year to the day before his murder–Dr. King exhorted those gathered at Riverside Church “We must move past indecision to action.” The members of the KBS coalition are a diverse group of organizations and individuals with hundreds of years of combined experience in social change endeavors. Our events and resources are designed to connect people beyond conversation and into concrete action.
OUR MISSION
In the spirit of Dr. King’s call for a radical revolution of values, KingAndBreakingSilence.org works to raise awareness, educate, and take action by organizing events, educational programs, and community initiatives that encourage dialogue, empathy, and collaboration.
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"We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society."
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