UPLIFT, COLLABORATE, AND TRANSFORM: WFWP DC INSPIRES GUESTS AT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY EVENT
The WFWP Washington DC chapter celebrated International Women’s Day on Saturday March 17, 2018, with the theme, “Uplift, Collaborate, Transform: Creating a Culture of Peace.” The program was held at the Frasier Mansion in Washington DC. More details about the speakers can be found at the end of this article.
Mrs. Fawzia Etemadi (president of Muslim Women's Association in DC/VA area and co-founder of Interfaith Outreach program) and I attended the event as WFWP guests. We were both uplifted by the content and moved by the obvious amount of attention and heart invested in every detail: the welcoming committee, reception, food, room preparation, video preparation, and so on. It was obvious that the WFWP DC chapter is sincere in all aspects of their event presentation, including gathering speakers and performers, and we are strongly convinced that we want to participate with WFWP in the future, as well as invite and bring guests to their future events.
It was interesting to notice that both performers were male. This emphasized the underlying principles of WFWP, which does not seek to abandon, challenge, or compete with men; the goal is to stand as equals in a complimentary position to men, working together harmoniously. The songs by Otmar Weinmann (Family Federation for World Peace, or FFWP, member) were gentle and heart-felt; the dances by Thomas Young (an African American professional Ethiopian dancer) were amazingly energetic and educational, conveying rituals of various regions of Ethiopia. In addition to sharing his dance skills, Mr. Young, who is a husband and father, spoke and inspired the audience with his dedication to encouraging young black men in America to better understand the depth of culture in their ancestor's homeland of Africa. He had previously served in Ethiopia as a Peace Corps volunteer. He also honored his wife, who is Ethiopian, for the influence she has had on him.
Guest Speaker Grace Valera, Excetive Director Migrant Heritage commission
The main speaker, Grace Devina Valera, originally from the Philippines, serves as the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Migrant Heritage Commission. She shared a broad range of humanitarian work she has invested in throughout her many years of dedication. It was inspiring to learn that the young women in the Philippines who compete for Miss Universe are sent to the United Nations for workshops. Not only do they become better informed of current issues worldwide, but they are encouraged to express their compassion in the direction their particular talents and skills lead them and to use the notoriety gained in beauty competitions to better educate the public. Mrs. Valera led the audience in a moment of reflection, guided by a Scottish Children's choir singing St. Francis of Assisi's Prayer, "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace.” Throughout the presentation, Ms. Valera encouraged us to realize the power each one of us has to bring about positive change. Her own mother, 92 years old, was in attendance at this event, and Ms. Valera honored her as the inspiration to choose a life dedicated to service. She closed with words from WFWP founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, calling all of us to work wholeheartedly for world peace, beginning in our own families.
In addition to the excellent main program and entertainment, the supporting staff was also exceptional.
Emaculate Mungye, the emcee (a Nurse and FFWP youth pastor), led the program with a mother's warm heart. The participants felt embraced and welcomed from start to finish. Rev. Susan Taylor, representing the Frasier Mansion/ National Affairs Office of the Church of Scientology, offered free material about the UN's Human Rights Declaration and shared 2 small video clips highlighting these rights. She gave us food for thought, since there are negative messages in the media about the Church of Scientology; this was an important opportunity to go beyond our prejudices. Rev. Taylor joyfully shared Scientology's victory of starting a 24-hour free television broadcast. As we celebrated with her, we also look forward to the day when each and every country has 24-hour broadcasting of peace and family- related education for their citizens.
Eliizabeth Aihe, WFWP DC chairwoman, reciting "What a Blessing to be a Woman" poem
Ms. Elizabeth Aihe, WFWP DC Chairwoman, shared a poem that she had written about the blessing of being a woman. We hope that this poem becomes permanent material for the WFWP website so that women worldwide can read these profound words and feel renewed gratitude for God's gift: creating us to embody His/Her feminine characteristics.
Mrs. Jane Karimi, WFWP DC Co-Chairwoman, while encouraging us to become members and support the Schools of Africa, went deeper to share the average morning of a young girl in Kenya: the first born must gather water from the well, milk the cows, and dress and feed the younger siblings before she leaves to attend classes. Without hearing these details, how could we have known the reality of these children whom we are now so moved to support?
More information on the speaker and performer
Guest speaker Grace Divina Valera:
She is an Executive Director & Co-Founder of Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC). Her passion can be described as, “Bringing people together to foster a culture of unity and service.” As a diplomat, Valera had served in Philippine Foreign Service posts at embassies in Tokyo, Madrid, and Washington D.C. Her other past positions included serving as Executive Board Member and PRO in ASEAN Women’s (AWC) Diplomatic Circle, Washington D.C., 2003-2005; DFA Ladies Foundation Madrid Chapter and Executive Board Member of Asian Diplomatic Ladies’ Circle in Madrid, 2000-2003, and as PRO Philippine Ladies Association in Japan (PLAJ), 1990-1995.
At present, she is the Co-Executive Director of the Migrant Heritage Commission; the co-organizer of Asia Heritage Foundation’s Fiesta Asia; an Ambassador for Peace in the U.S.; the Artistic Director of the Fil-Am Heritage Dance Ensemble, Annual Asian Festival in Reston, Virginia, the US. Capital’s 4th of July American Independence Day Parade, Dance DC Festival, and other high profile events in the Metro DC area.
Dancer Thomas Young:
He grew up in Washington, DC. Though he is not Ethiopian himself, he became intrigued with Ethiopian dance and culture as a teenager. This has led him to visit Africa many times and train to be a professional Ethiopian Dancer. He has now been dancing for fifteen years. For the last 6 years, he has also been teaching dance and Ethiopian culture to children of all ages in a variety of settings. These include AIRF/Carpe Diem Youth ArtBeat, an afterschool program in high schools in Montgomery County, and a summer camp for children adopted from Africa and living here in the United States. Thomas has devoted his life to his passion for Ethiopian culture and dance, and it shows in the upbeat, positive energy he brings to his teaching.
