AS I RISE: LAUNCHING OF THE GLOBAL WOMEN’S PEACE NETWORK ON THE WEST COAST

Women leaders of all ages and backgrounds from the West Coast and beyond gathered on April 6, 2019 in the City of Angels (Los Angeles) for a morning reception to launch the Global Women’s Peace Network (GWPN) in the Pacific Rim Region. This morning gathering also served as a pre-event to a greater and more prominent convocation that took place in the afternoon, the Blessing America: Peace Starts With Me Rally, with Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon as the keynote speaker! Our WFWP co-founders, Dr. Moon and her late husband, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, had predicted many years ago that the West Coast of America is indeed where the Era of Women and Mothers would emerge and from where it would spread. And we did feel that something was about to happen that morning. It was in the air.

A most warm, joyful, uplifting, and festive spirit filled the ballroom of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at LAX that morning, when nearly 100 women poured in, each with a big smile on her face.

The moment our newly appointed International President, Mrs. Julia Moon, arrived and entered the festively decorated room, she was surrounded by the women, expressing their love, warm greetings, and the request to take photos with her, even before the event began. Everyone felt immediately drawn to her, and she received them all with poise and grace.

WFWP USA Vice President Katarina Connery skillfully and warmly guided the audience through the short but powerful program. South Gate, CA Council Member, Mrs. Maria Davila gave warm opening remarks followed by Mrs. Moon delivering her first speech in the U.S. since her inauguration, which moved everyone’s heart. In her address, Mrs. Moon showed that she had deeply and insightfully studied about the GWPN and its vision, despite having been involved prior to this in a completely different field, namely, the arts. She expressed her strong commitment to moving the GWPN forward, using her background in the arts to touch souls and bring about synergy where words are ineffective (read her speech here).

Following this, WFWP USA President Angelika Selle introduced the GWPN more in detail, its vision, areas of focus, and latest developments since the East Coast inaugural ceremony on November 11, 2018. She introduced two newly completed educational tools (curricula) that were created recently by WFWP USA to assist in understanding and implementing the vision behind GWPN’s three areas of focus, which are:

1) Women’s Leadership
2) Family
3) Environment

The “Cornerstone for Happiness – Marriage and Family” seminar introduces a new paradigm on marriage and relationships which have proven to help in creating healthy and happy families in strengthening the fiber of the family in America, and which we believe is the cornerstone for a peaceful world. And the “Leadership of the Heart” curriculum empowers women to become peace leaders, leading “from the inside out,” based on self-change and learning skills to transform our current toxic environment and toxic emotions in relationships into wholesome ones, starting with ourselves.

Emma Reed and Fannie Smith being honored for their many years of service to WFWP

Special guest speaker Dr. Susan Taffer, who is the founder and CEO of the World Connections Foundation and who promotes the idea that “Education Is Healing and Healing Is Education,” completely captured the attention of the women in the room with her riveting explanation based on her own experience as to “What does it all mean?” She weaved the vision of WFWP, the founder, and her area of education skillfully into one, thus demonstrating how this great vision can be implemented in one area of endeavor. Listen to her speech here.

It was then time to honor three outstanding ladies with the HerStory Award: Dr. Cherilyn Lee, founder of Nu Wellness Healthcare Inc, Ms. Rachanee Jackson, member and activist of the Tri-Counties African American Alliance, and former Congresswoman Mrs. Diane E. Watson, who, upon receiving this award—which is based on the premise that “Ordinary Women Can Do Extraordinary Things”—shared a snippet of their lives about how they turned pain into purpose and defeat into triumph.

WFWP USA then offered an “honorable mention” to appreciate two of our own amazing women leaders, who have been sacrificing and investing themselves tirelessly over many years to make WFWP into what it is today: Mrs. Fannie Smith from Chicago, the National Director of the Schools of Africa project, and Emma Reed, our WFWP Southern California Chairwoman. (She appeared with me on Dr. Cherilyn Lee’s TV show, available to watch here.)

Both were moved, especially Mrs. Smith, who had also received a very heartwarming letter from her three grown daughters, which came as a total surprise and brought tears to her eyes.

Between the speakers and the award ceremony that followed, three wonderful performers raised the atmosphere through song. Ms. Rebecca Zinke’s rendition of “Find Your Way” melted the women, especially through her sweet yet strong voice, reminding all to “keep your faith, even when you go through darkness” (here is her YouTube link). Minister Magdalene Morris, LA gospel singer and performer, reminded the women “to lay down my burden, down by the riverside.” How appropriate for doing peace work! Everyone was in for a special treat by Mzuri Moyo Aimbaye, a well-known singer and performer from New York who closed out our eventful and rich morning with a rendition of “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory.” Her dramatic soprano voice permeated everyone’s heart as she also inserted words from the Fannie Lou Hamer play about the civil rights movement. It brought the history of slavery to life in the room, and rang especially true in light of the recent murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle, only a few days prior to the event.

Vice President Katarina Connery as MC

The thought came to mind: What does it take to bring about a real turning point for the better in this current world filled with hate, anger, strife, division, loneliness, and confusion? I believe the answer is in the hearts of men and most of all in the hearts of WOMEN, women who are of a unique heartset and mindset. As our guest speaker Dr. Taffer told us, quoting Kavita Ramdas, former President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women:

“We need women who are
So strong they can be gentle
So educated they can be humble
So fierce they can be compassionate
So passionate they can be rational – AND
So disciplined they can be free!”
Therefore, my call to us all is, let’s BE it and let’s DO it!”

One of the participants noted afterwards:

Jizly Dohou – Chairwoman of WFWP Pennsylvania

I feel that the GWPN will liberate all women, as we enter the Era of Ownership and move from His-Story to Her-Story. Let us be aware that we are also not alone, that the women of history are right here with us. We live in an era where we can feel the Heart of America. WFWP women from the past are also with us.

Group photo

Postscript
Here is to all who made this West Coast launch of the GWPN a great success; to Rev. Dr. Linda Nishikawa, WFWP Regional Director of the West Coast; Emma Reed, Chairwoman of Southern California; and Susan Felsenthal, WFWP representative in South LA, who presented three proclamations from public officials, one from the city, the region, and the state, all proclaiming that April 6 be observed as the “Global Women’s Day – Peace Starts With Me” in LA and Southern California.

Sincere gratitude also goes to all WFWP chairwomen and guests who traveled from near and far (some drove 11 hours from Idaho) to assist in giving birth to the GWPN on the West Coast.

Last but not least, kudos to our Home Office team, Katarina Connery, Vice President, and Kiyomi Schmidt, Outreach Coordinator, who took care of all program logistics.

Deepest thanks also goes to our new International President, Mrs. Julia Moon, who traveled all the way from Korea to be at this launch on the West Coast, and, most of all, thanks to our co-founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, who keeps charging forward, with her motherly heart of love, proclaiming and living the words that PEACE STARTS WITH ME.

Watch Video Footage of the Presenters from this event: CLICK HERE

Stay tuned for announcements on the next launching of the GWPN in the Southwest Region, on June 22 in Las Vegas (to be confirmed).