Speech Contest Winner
Brenda (center) won first place at the Area 21 Toastmasters International Speech Contest, having achieved first place at her local Four Flags Area (Niles, Michigan) contest. She went on to compete at the next level for the District crown at Eaton Rapids, Michigan on March 21, 2019.
Maranatha Christian Writers' Conference
In September, I felt awesomely blessed to be able to attend the Maranatha Christian Writers’ Conference in Muskegon, Michigan. In this beautiful conference setting overlooking Lake Michigan, experts from all phases of publishing help current and future authors perfect their craft. Although my attendance was a last-minute serendipitous event, I received a great financial scholarship, without which I could not have gone.
Black History Month Exhibit at Niles, MI Library
Brenda and William spent an afternoon working with Niles, Michigan librarians setting up an exhibit of Charlie Walker memorabilia and photographs.
1961Handbook
1961 Civil Rights Training Manual Released !
Brenda decided to reprint Organizing for Nonviolent Direct Action after her father's death, as an important piece of his legacy. It was the first training manual of its kind written on preparing for and carrying out peaceful protest in the U.S. Civil Rights movement. In the turbulent time of sit-ins and marches, many people wanted action and change. Seeking to keep the movement peaceful, Walker drew on his experience with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the principles of Gandhi to lay out a basic how-to for nonviolent action in the struggle for civil rights. She hopes people will use these timeless principles in this new century as they were used in the 1960s, with constructive programs that exemplify “nonviolent attitudes in action.”