Kaur to appear at a collaboration of communities, leadership and faith aimed at overcoming the hate, violence and division pervasive in our neighborhoods.
Kansas City, MO (April 19, 2017) – Valarie Kaur, civil rights activist and lawyer, makes a special appearance at the One Community: Together in Solidarity event on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at the Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church located at 9300 Nall Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas. This event, in collaboration with various communities, leadership and faiths, is being spearheaded by a local attorney who felt compelled to act in the face of the Olathe shooting tragedy.
“After the shooting, I felt like the community needed to find a way back to center. There needed to be a way to unify communities across the metro so that everyone felt safer. The current climate in the U.S. has caused many communities to be fearful and feel vulnerable,” explains Rekha Sharma-Crawford a principal in Sharma-Crawford Attorneys at Law. “However, information alone isn’t enough to translate into action. Events like One Community: Together in Solidarity are important to help draw communities together with faith leaders, government leaders and law enforcement in support of one another, which can help overcome the feelings of isolation and create stronger bonds between communities; something that only makes us all safer.”
One of the highlights of the event is a special appearance by the inspirational Valarie Kaur, who will be speaking at length, and closing the program with a question and answer session. Kaur is a well-known civil rights activist, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, media commentator, educator, entrepreneur, author and Sikh American justice leader. Her new venture, the Revolutionary Love Project at the University of Southern California, champions the ethic of love in an era of rage. She can be followed on Twitter under @valariekaur.
“Fashioned after the “Not In Our Town” model, One Community: Together in Solidarity is a program that brings together so many amazing organizations like the American Friends Service Committee, Kansas City Coalition Against Hate Violence, Immigrant Justice Advocacy Movement, and SevenDays to name just a few. It also brings leadership from governmental agencies in Overland Park, Merriam, Leawood, and even the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City. Representatives from many faiths will also be present to stand together in unity. Everyone has been so generous with their time, space and knowledge in helping make this happen. We hope to help heal the KC metro after this tragedy and show the world of the resilience and community that exists in the middle of the United States. It is hoped that neighbors and other local residents will attend events like One Community: Together in Solidarity and join a movement to stand together against the hate and violence that divides us,” says Sharma-Crawford. As a way to visually show solidarity, ribbons will be handed out at the event and people will be encouraged to display these ribbons across the metro as a sign of solidarity.
The doors open for One Community: Together in Solidarity at 6:00 p.m. and the program begins promptly at 6:30 p.m., lasting until 9:00 p.m. The event is free, but registration is requested.