Bono honours the legacy of Martin Luther King
Bono honours the legacy of Martin Luther King
Bono honours the legacy of Martin Luther King

Bono honours the legacy of Martin Luther King

On the seventy fifth birthday of the great civil rights leader, Bono ...

19 Jan 2004
Bono honours the legacy of Martin Luther King.

On the seventy fifth birthday of the great civil rights leader, Bono laid awreath at his grave, met with his widow Coretta Scott King and was honouredat the annual 'Salute to Greatness' awards at the Martin Luther King Centerin Atlanta, Georgia.

Great selection of photos by Phillip Safarian here

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a photo gallery of Bono in Atlanta here

Yahoo have more photos here

Speaking to a gathering of activists on Saturday, Bono argued that the Rev.Martin Luther King. Jr.'s concept of nonviolent activism needs to be appliedto the issue of AIDS in Africa so that pressure is put on governments andcorporations in the developed world to help "the poorest of the poor."

"It's not a cause," he said, sitting next to Coretta Scott King. "It's anemergency."

At the meeting, which also included U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) andcomedian and actor Chris Tucker, Bono explained that there is "no time forposturing."

"No time for taking a position. You need to work with everybody -governments, churches, corporations. Everybody."

He said King's message of peace and justice influenced him greatly as ateenager, while Northern Ireland was engulfed in violence. "He wasn't justtalking about the American dream. It was a much bigger idea, actually, anidea that could fit an African dream, an Irish dream. And it certainlywasn't a daydream. It was a call to action."

An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV, according to a report bythe Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, and the WorldHealth Organization. About 5 million people across the globe were newlyinfected in 2003; 3 million others died of AIDS.

Bono argued that the role the United States plays to combat the pandemiccould change the negative image many people in other countries have of theUS after the invasion of Iraq. Bono praised Congressman Lewis for hisleadership during the civil rights movement and said Atlanta should also beat the forefront of the movement to fight HIV/AIDS in the United States andworldwide.

He also predicted that leaders of the world's wealthiest nations can expectplenty of protesters this June when they gather on Sea Island."The G-8, the richest countries in the world, are coming to Georgia thissummer for their big hoo-ha. I think they came to the right state, because Imet some pretty energetic people and they've got something they want to say.

The G8 is set to meet on the resort of Sea Island in part because of itssecure and remote location - previous meetings have been disrupted byprotesters opposed to their policies toward poorer nations. However, saidBono, they may be on an island, but these people can swim."

Over the weekend Bono and other representatives from the campaigningorganisation DATA met local activists, including HIV/AIDS vaccineresearchers, community health providers, and volunteers who are fightingAIDS both in Atlanta and in Africa. More on the work of DATA to fightpoverty and AIDS here

www.data.org

Learn more about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr at The King Center herewww.thekingcenter.org

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