Ending Racism Starts with Me: WFWP Georgia participates in a timely discussion
Senator Donzella James of Georgia
On July 11th, 2020, representatives from the greater Atlanta area came together for a panel discussion entitled "Ending Racism Starts with Me", to address current issues and start working toward solving the unrest in the community. Participants joined the event held at the Georgia True Family Community Center in Ellenwood, Georgia, both in person and via zoom.
“Power vs Force: What Will Bring Peace?” was the main question that the speakers set out to discuss. The panelists included a key spokesperson from the state, Senator Donzella James, who has served the state of Georgia since 2009 and serves on several committees including Education and Youth. Another panelist was Barrett Hunt, who represented the Young Ambassadors, a program Senator James supports. Barrett is a high school student who is an advocate in his school for peace and reconciliation.
Police officer Dexter Kilgore, who is also a pastor and speaker on leadership development, addressed the importance of transparency and credible integrity in all walks of life. The final panelist was Miambi Mutandwa, a young lady who represented both our local WFWP chapter as well as young adult leadership, and she spoke eloquently and passionately on her desire for change.
The areas that the panelists focused on were education, policy, violence and community. But the prevalent theme from each speaker was reconciliation and creating connection in the community. This was also echoed by members of the audience, who had the opportunity to make statements of their own and engage in a lively Q&A discussion towards the end of the program.
Feeling hopeful as the event concluded, Miambi reflected: "The theme of the event, power versus force, spoke to my heart. I see it as the beginning of a series of dialogues intended to rebuild our communities. We all shared our viewpoints on the state of which we are in and how we can reconcile. It was an enlightening and powerful conversation."
A follow-up symposium is planned for Wednesday, August 5th, as part of the Peace Road 2020 nationwide support for "Reconciliation for the Human Family."
