Author Valarie Budayr To Speak At Martin Luther King Jr Presentation

“I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men can have turn down, other-centered men can build up.”– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

All of us here at Audrey Press are excited to announce that our own Valarie Budayr will be speaking this Thursday evening at the New Providence Presbyterian Church/Westminster Hall. Her topic: Are the principals of non-violence by Dr. King relevant in the 21^stcentury?

When I asked Valarie why this subject was so important to her, she shared this story with us:

This is a compelling topic for me because in 2006 I found myself in the middle of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Every day 40,000 tons of TNT was pounding near our home and over our heads. After being evacuated by the US Naval Marines, we came home to a lot of questions about war. My husband was here in the States and I was vacationing in Lebanon with our three children and one of their best friends. My husband is Lebanese and his family lives in Lebanon. Lebanon hadn’t seen war in over 20 years. It just came out of nowhere. One minute both sides of the conflict were enjoying summer and the next minute we were in a war.

I knew I didn’t want my children to hate. There was a lot of that on both sides. I knew and know that the solution to our global issues isn’t violence but a paradigm shift. A new way of looking and doing things. I came home and started reading every author who had envisioned and taught about a peaceful world. One of those people was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I had always looked at him as someone else’s hero until I read his writings and realized that he was speaking to everyone, to all of humankind. The panel has people from all walks of life on it and we will be speaking about the relevancy of Dr. Kings message. Is it relevant today?

This evening is free and open to the public so please join Valarie and the impressive list of fellow speakers for an evening of thought, education, and fellowship.

Panel Participants:

Christopher Jackson,Alcoa, Inc.

Frances Henderson-Louis, Maryville College

Bertin Louis, University of Tennessee

Steve Musick, New Providence Presbyterian Church

Valarie Budayr, Community Volunteer and Publisher

Jan Haun, Physician, Loudon County

The Blount County MLK, Jr Celebration Committee welcomes you to a panel presentation and community discussion of non-violence principals in the 21st century. January 12 at New Providence Presbyterian Church/Westminster Hall at 7pm. Jan. 12, 2012 .For more information on this event and upcoming events, visit Blount County’s Martin Luther King Jr Celebration website.

Connect with Audrey Press on Social Media

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply