WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fifty years following the tragic loss of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Faith and Politics Institute (FPI) will embark on a journey in Tennessee and Alabama with a bipartisan delegation of nearly 30 members of Congress. The 2018 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage will take place from March 2nd through March 4th visiting Memphis, Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma.

Select events on Friday, March 2, and on Saturday, March 3, will be open to the press.

In Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, March 2, participants will visit the 16^th Street Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. There, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. John Lewis, Sen. Doug Jones, Rep. Gary Palmer, and FPI President & CEO Joan Mooney will hold a press conference for assembled media.

PRESS CONFERENCE AT 5:30 PM, FRI., MARCH 2 (media pre-set 4:30 PM CST)

Who: Members of Congress, Community Leaders, Faith and Politics Institute Leadership
What: Media Opportunity: Press Conference with Rep. Terri Sewell, Sen. Doug Jones, Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Gary Palmer, FPI President & CEO Joan Mooney
When: Media wishing to cover the press conference must arrive at 4:30 PM, one hour prior for a security screening by the U.S. Capitol Police.
Where: Birmingham Civil Rights Institute - 520 16^th St. N. Birmingham, AL (outside building)
Media seeking to cover the event or conduct interviews must RSVP to jschechter@skdknick.com to get the appropriate credentials. For event questions, please call FPI directly at 202-546-1299.

In Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday, March 3, the group will visit Southern Poverty Law Center and the Civil Rights Memorial to participate in a wreath laying there. Members of Congress and Faith and Politics Leadership will be available for one on one interviews with media following the wreath laying ceremony.

The pilgrimage will be led by civil rights icon Hon. John Lewis and co-hosts Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Lamar Alexander, Sen. Doug Jones, Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Gary Palmer, Rep. Martha Roby, Rep. Bradley Byrne, Rep. David Kustoff, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, and House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Also joining will be dozens of students, seminarians, clergy, and annual pilgrims.

PRESS AVAILABILITY AT 11:45 AM, SAT., MARCH 3 (media pre-set 10:30 AM CST)

Who: Members of Congress, Community Leaders, Faith and Politics Institute Leadership
What: Media Opportunity: Wreath Laying & One on One Stand Ups
When: Media wishing to cover the press conference must arrive one hour prior for a security screening by the U.S. Capitol Police.
Where: Civil Rights Memorial, 400 Washington Ave, Montgomery, AL 36104
Media seeking to cover the event or conduct interviews must RSVP to jschechter@skdknick.com to get the appropriate credentials. For event questions, please call FPI directly at 202-546-1299.