Peace Road 2020 in the Midwest: “Hate is louder than love, but love is stronger than hate!”
Fannie Smith as emcee at the Peace Road event in Chicago
Editor’s Note: For the last couple of issues, the Logic of Love Newsletter has been covering reports on the National Peace Road Tour, a project initiated by WFWP Co-Founders Father and Mother Moon that was co-sponsored by WFWP USA. Under the theme “Reconciliation of All People”, events were held in historically significant locations around the country to offer prayers of healing and reconciliation. After successful events in the Northeast and Southeast regions of the United States, the national tour then entered the American Heartland. In the article below, Fannie Smith, the WFWP Midwest Peace Road Coordinator, shares a report from Chicago, and WFWP Tennessee Chairwoman Friederun Abraham writes about her experience with Peace Road in Memphis.
“I will devote the remainder of my life to ending war, immortality and greed, and liberating God’s heart so that we can build a world overflowing with true peace and love.” Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon
Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and others anointed as ‘peacemakers’, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon had a dream beginning from a very young age in Korea. As a result of her dreams to bring peace and unity among all people, she is now considered one of the most influential women leaders in the world. The founder of WFWP, also known as the “Mother of Peace”, is pursuing her dreams with the Peace Road Tour around the world, and the Women's Federation for World Peace Midwest Region is blessed to share her dream.
The Midwest WFWP chapters were honored and encouraged to have the opportunity to organize and support outreach efforts across several states. In my role as regional WFWP Peace Road Coordinator, I felt the necessity to prepare well and meet the enthusiasm for the National Peace Road Tour that Mother Moon was anticipating. We created a beautiful flyer that was distributed to all WFWP Midwest chairs, members and leaders. Invitation letters and calls were made to all WFWP associates, sponsors, supporters and affiliations to ensure the Peace Road events were well attended.
A particular highlight in our media outreach was the opportunity to join Rev. Joy Ramza, known as Mama Joy, on The Female Solution Radio Show, which is broadcast live on BlogTalkRadio weekday mornings. WFWP USA President Angelika Selle and I were invited to share the purpose of the Peace Road Tour and the events for the Midwest region on a radio episode entitled “Road to Peace, Joy and Emancipation” that was broadcast on August 4, 2020 (listen to the recording here, starting from the 41st minute). Mama Joy noted that our segment was one of her most visited shows with the highest number of call-ins.
A few days later, on August 7, the National Peace Road Tour reached the Midwest, with Cincinnati, Ohio as the first stop. Although WFWP Ohio Chairwoman Nadya Hinson wasn’t able to attend the event in person due to unforeseen circumstances, she supported it in spirit and reported that the visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center was a deeply significant and meaningful event.
On Saturday morning, August 8, at 9:00 AM, WFWP Chicago greeted members and friends in the parking lot of New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, located on the south side of Chicago. This site was chosen for the Peace Road tour because of its historical civil rights trademark. It served as the meeting place where Dr. Martin Luther King preached and shared his vision with Chicago civil rights leaders that led to the infamous march in segregated Marquette Park. Dr. King was attacked there while fighting for equal housing rights and jobs and against segregation laws in 1966.
The weather was sunny and comfortable for the 80 participants, who were all wearing masks and sitting at a distance from each other. As the emcee, I kicked off the program with introductions and welcomed the many guests to Chicago. This was followed with a song by Chicago Evangelist Rita Pritchett, and a prayer by Pastor Willie Weston, member of the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC). Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, North America Chairman of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and National Co-Chairman of ACLC, spoke eagerly about Mother Moon’s Global Rally of Hope being held that evening and the vision she and Father Moon declared for the Peace Road.
Messages of peace and hope were given by Pastor T. L. Barrett of the Life Center Church of God in Christ, Bishop Shirley Coleman of Spiritual Wholistic Ministries, her daughter Alderman Stephanie Coleman and Alderman Rod Sawyer. Then Dr. Luonne Rouse, National Co-Chairman of ACLC, offered a heartfelt prayer, reminding us that God expects us to reach beyond boundaries and unite with each other.
I read a proclamation from the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, in which she encouraged the works of Peace Road 2020 in Chicago and our efforts to address peace, hope and reconciliation in Chicago neighborhoods.
Pastor Hiro of the Chicago Family Church presented Mother Moon’s memoir to all the guests and everyone signed the Peace Proclamation that will be presented to her, representing Chicago’s efforts to support her vision.
I feel it is important to use our WFWP platform as women to erase the stigma of hate, racial divides and ethnic differences that separate us as God’s children. I pray that Mother’s tears will grow the seeds and germinate into fields of grain that can be consumed by all humankind. While our prayers of reconciliation, repentance, forgiveness, and solidarity are important, it is not enough to desire peaceful reunions. We must educate each other by sharing relationships, families, customs, opinions and yes fear from lack of knowledge. “HATE IS LOUDER THAN LOVE, BUT LOVE IS STRONGER THAN HATE.”
Memphis, Tennessee
WFWP Illinois Advisor Patricia Fliginger, who also attended the event in Chicago, continued on to Springfield, where another Peace Road event was held later that same day at the tomb of Abraham Lincoln.
The Peace Road tour continued on August 9 in Memphis, Tennessee, at the National Civil Rights Museum, which includes the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. His spirit and legacy were honored at this momentous peace road event, which was attended by some 50 participants, including WFWP Tennessee Chairwoman Friederun Abrahams.
Despite the 105 degree heat, everyone was filled with the spirit of the place and eagerly participated in the program. A local pastor brought his whole family there to sing a couple of energizing praise songs that uplifted the atmosphere. One of the featured speakers was a local young lady, Deja Davis, who had been recently introduced to the Peace Road vision and was inspired by it: “It’s up to us here today to put our foot forward and make a difference in the world collectively. [...] We’re all family here.”
Mrs. Abrahams was inspired to hear her speak and looked forward to introducing her to WFWP. She also worked behind the scenes to connect with the wives of the pastors that came, including Apostle Sharon Spikner, who offered a deep prayer as part of the program. Other speakers included Dr. Michael Jenkins from the Universal Peace Federation, local pastor Dannie Holmes, and Randell Gamble, co-founder of the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis.
“I feel so grateful that I could see this event unfold and the whole idea of the peace road, which enfolds all people,” shared Mrs. Abrahams, reflecting on the event. “I always felt Memphis to have a deep significance because of its dark history of slavery and racism and then the assassination of MLK, so the peace road coming here felt so important for healing in so many ways. It was the opportunity for all of us to repent, to forgive, and to reconcile.”
Earlier that day, in preparation for the peace road, a group of young volunteers had organized a clean-up of the nearby Army Park, the site of the tragic 1866 Memphis Massacre where racial violence led to the senseless killing of 46 African Americans. Mrs. Abrahams was moved by the youth who wanted to contribute through this cleaning project, including one wheelchair-bound young lady from Nashville who came to help and offer her prayers at this historic location. “These young people are all our children, and as mothers we follow Mother Moon’s example to want urgently to reach out, heal, and nurture with truth and a culture of heart,” she shared. “This also was my insight into what the peace road means for me.”
