About 150 guests -- mostly women and a few men -- attended Women's Action for New Directions' 13th annual Mother's Day Luncheon for Peace on May 5 at Temple B'nai Israel.
Honored was Jean Gordon, peace advocate and founder of the Arkansas chapter of WAND. She gave a little history of the organization that was formed to empower women to become politically active and reduce violence and militarism. She said, "I'm convinced we are going to stop sending our young people to kill other young people and to get killed themselves. It just doesn't make sense and it doesn't solve any problems."
In attendance were five female students from Pulaski Academy, members of the school's Amnesty International Club. Gordon invited student Mia Alshamie to introduce the students and tell about the club's activities. In a symbolic gesture of passing the torch, Gordon presented Alshamie with a wand telling guests, "This is our hope for the future."
Guest speaker was Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury, president and chief executive officer of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.
High Profile on 05/15/2016