We were honored to work with the University of San Francisco’s (USF) Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice (INSJ), to co-produce a Gala at USF’s Saint Ignatius Church in November, our biggest event yet, hosting 1,600 guests. This historical and successful event underscored why we do what we do - create customized events that bring people together in a powerful way. 

USF’s Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice advances the theory and practice of transformational nonviolence to confront and overcome injustice and systemic violence, thus contributing to the just resolution of communal conflict. The institute was founded by Jonathan D. Greenberg, a scholar in the conflict-resolution field, and Dr. Clarence B. Jones, social justice legend, lawyer, and speechwriter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These two men are a part of communities with long histories of racial injustice and discrimination and, though in their lifetimes, they have witnessed immense social change, better is not enough. Thus, they and other institute members continue to peacefully combat the pervasive violence that bleeds into the very fabric of American society. 

Of course, the institute alone can not combat such violence, therefore to honor and give public recognition to the life’s work and social impact of a major activist or scholar who, in his or her life, has carried out the nonviolent methodology of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the Clarence B. Jones Kingian Nonviolence Award was established. 

This award was named after the institute’s own founder, whose theory for social change was conceived by his former friend and trusting mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, the recipient is Bryan Stevenson, founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama, and author of the bestseller “Just Mercy” that was adapted into an acclaimed film. The EJI provides legal representation to individuals who were denied a fair trial, prisoners without effective representation, and prisoners who may have been wrongfully convicted. The fifth recipient of this award, Stevenson, shared his night of celebration with Jones who will soon celebrate his  92nd birthday. 

The popular Kronos Quartet performed a composition dedicated to Jones. Their multi-media performance broke the boundaries of musical genre, blending the sweet sounds of classical string instruments and a contemporary audio recording of Jones. In this audio recording, Jones says, “I could hear his [King’s] voice, I could hear the resonance, the cadence.” 

Jones expanded upon this memory by explaining how he drafted several paragraphs containing points he felt were important for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to touch upon in his upcoming speech. He presented this draft to King just the night before their March on Washington. Jones did not know that this “draft” would become the introduction to King’s famous “I Had a Dream” speech. After speaking Jones’ words, a gospel singer and dear friend of King’s, positioned on the left side of the stage, called out, “tell them about the dream, Martin!” It was at that moment Jones turned to someone, a man or woman, white or of color, he can not recall, but what he said to this person was, “those people out there- those people in the crowd- they don’t know that they’re about to go to church.” And so King began to preach to some 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Truly, with his captivating words, I felt as if he had taken all of Gala’s guests in his arms and transported us back to that day in August of 1963. And, scanning the tear-streaked faces of those sitting around me confirmed this feeling was shared. 

Soon thereafter, Jones and Stevenson sat down for a discussion led by the brilliant Lateefah Simon. During this discussion, Simon asked the men burning questions such as “How can we best continue to combat racial injustice in America, peacefully and with actionable change?” and “What is one thing, above all, that you [Jones and Stevenson] want people to leave here with tonight?” To the first of these two questions, Stevenson responded that “the path to justice requires truth-telling,” meaning that we must accept our nation’s history of racial inequality, confront our nation’s current racial composition, and use this knowledge to fuel the fight ahead. In response to the second question, Jones said, as he often does, “Keep on keeping on”! In so few words, this phrase superbly summed up the night and became a sort of motto for the Gala. I was struck, of course, by their words but also by the parallel, synchronistic beauties of Jones’ relationship with King and Stevenson’s relationship with Jones. These two men, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will be written about in future history textbooks. 

Many people, and though I am embarrassed to admit, myself included, have fallen under the false assumption that philanthropy is an exercise reserved for people with incredible wealth, although what I learned in attending this event that is equally as important to the donation of money, are the donation of time and sharing personal testimony. Moving forward and reflecting on this important event that we are proud to have helped co-produce, Beasley & McCusker Communications is inspired to be devoted truth-tellers and “keep on keeping on.”

By Liv Mason

As a startup of more than two years, Beasley & McCusker Communications (BMC) is still in its rapid growth and change phase. Initially, our goal at BMC was to help women entrepreneurs by finding creative ways to build their brands, form meaningful connections, and increase awareness for the companies and the causes they lead. We have extended our services to include universities and non-profit organizations that are committed to making a positive impact on their communities. The invisible thread between all the founders, entrepreneurs, and organizations that we work with is a strong belief and passion for their missions.