To commemorate Black History Month and to celebrate peace during these uncertain times, a benefit event that includes music, called Ceeds of Peace: Something Inside So Strong, will take place on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 6 pm at the history-making Holman United Methodist Church (Holman UMC), one of only two L.A. churches Dr. Martin Luther King spoke, only weeks before his fateful trip to Memphis. In addition, the Pastor Emeritus of Holman UM
C is civil rights legend and King colleague, Rev. James Lawson.
Holman UMC is holding the benefit in association with the Justin Carr Wants World Peace Foundation and includes special guest keynote speaker, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, who is co-founder of Hawaii-based peace building non-profit, Ceeds of Peace and the new director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Confliction Resolution in Hawaii. Promoting peace is also a family trait, as she is sister of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and 44th U.S. President, Barack Obama. In fact, she sits on the Obama Foundation Board that is overseeing the building of the Barack Obama Presidential Center that includes his Presidential Library. Speaking of legacy, that Dr. Soetoro-Ng will speak at a church like Holman UMC is not lost on her, stating, “I am profoundly grateful to have the honor of visiting the Holman United Methodist Church, a setting that has housed such a rich history of peace-building and I look forward to sharing stories, exchanging ideas, and nurturing action plans for peace with the Los Angeles community.”
Hosted by award-winning actress-singer and peace activist, Erica Gimpel (Fame, Profiler, The Catch), this is the 4th Annual Benefit held during Black History Month and Heart Health Month on behalf of the Justin Carr Wants World Peace Foundation established in honor of Harvard-Westlake star student-athlete, Justin Carr, who died at 16 on February 22, 2013 from an undetected heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), while at his swim team practice (as covered in an Emmy-winning news story on CBS2). The Justin Carr Wants World Peace Foundation (JCWWP) is so named because of a prayer for peace Justin said since he was four. To that end, Holman UMC’s Senior Pastor, Rev. Kelvin Sauls says, “As part of our dedication to engage in peace building, Holman United Methodist Church is delighted to provide intersection for Justin Carr’s vision for world peace and Dr. Soetoro-Ng’s ongoing strategic movement building work of realizing a more just and fair society.”
The Benefit’s title also has meaning for Rev. Sauls—who grew up in South Africa’s apartheid system—because the title merges the name of Dr. Soetoro-Ng’s foundation, Ceeds of Peace with the classic anti-apartheid anthem, Something Inside (So Strong) by acclaimed singer Labi Siffre. That a song tied to apartheid still has relevance in today’s charged political climate, is why Erica Gimpel is honored to host the benefit, saying, “…[T]he times we are living in require us to renew our commitment to walking the path of peace…by gathering together we encourage and deepen our resolve to do so.”
Source: LA Sentinel
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