"LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING"
Mrs. Maree Gauper, WFWP Chairwoman in Wheatland, California, worked with other concerned representatives from local churches to organize an event to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Approximately 100 people attended this third annual MLK interdenominational event.
In Mrs. Gauper's welcoming remarks, she spoke about how her inspiration to organize the local MLK celebration came at a WFWP retreat in Savannah, Georgia, where she first heard from Ms. Carolyn Sampson, Chairwoman of the WFWP North Carolina Chapter, about the Dreamfest held to honor Dr. King in North Carolina.
She quoted the WFWP co-founder's statement that Dr. King was the most important American of the 20th century, a point that was enthusiastically received by the mostly black audience.
Also, in memory of Dr. King and his legacy, a local woman, Ms. Lisa Harris,18 years ago founded an annual march across the Fifth Street Bridge from Yuba City to Marysville. The march has taken place each year since then, spurred on by Ms. Harris' courage, determination, and leadership. Since the WFWP HerStory Award is presented to women who have made a real difference in the lives of their community and have overcome obstacles and difficulties; Mrs. Gauper presented Ms. Harris with the WFWP HerStory Award. Ms. Harris was surprised and happy to receive such an honor.
The event was held in Yuba Community College's performing arts theater and combined song, dance, guest speakers, and readings from the words of Dr. King.
In the weeks prior to the event, Mrs. Gauper had met with Pastor B.J. Kirn of the Balanced Life Church, and shared about WFWP with her. Mrs. Gauper gave her the WFWP brochure, with pictures of the beautiful ladies of every different skin tone working together for peace. Pastor Kirn exclaimed, "You need to invite me to these things," as she accepted the brochure.
Ms. Kirn has been leading the march these past three years as Ms. Harris is contemplating a move back to Washington state, where she grew up. She testified that God "put it in her spirit" to let B.J. take over the march, which B.J. has done for the last three years. Interestingly enough, B.J. was a militant black activist in the 1960s. She was involved in the walkouts on college campuses that led to the establishment of MLK Jr's birthday as a national holiday.
When Ms. Gauper met her, B.J. gave her testimony about being saved from militant activism to the new freedom of serving a loving God. She knows God has a sense of humor, because she ended up marrying a white man, and together they have a large mixed-race tribe of beautiful children and grandchildren. So Mrs. Gauper told her that the founder of WFWP says that interracial marriage is a shortcut to world peace.
This year's MLK event was really focused on women. Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Kazuka Brown, an interracial couple whose marriage was dedicated to world peace, sang the song, "Love Changes Everything," by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which was a wonderful way to bring the gathering of so many different races together in peace to honor the courage and legacy of Dr. King.
