Book Club Speaker
Book Club Speaker
On February 7, 2021, Brenda was the featured speaker at the South Bend Book Club meeting. Held monthly, the book club meets by zoom to discuss the chosen book. This month’s book was Bayard Rustin: Troublemaker for Justice, a book written specially for the many youth in the Meeting. The purpose is to keep the youth focused and involved in the Meeting as in-person worship was still not deemed possible for the adults either. Meeting for Worship was held 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. A short break for lunch or whatever, and then the book club met. Brenda spoke for 15-20 minutes about Bayard and her father, Charlie Walker, and their work together for peace and brotherhood, particularly in the civil rights movement, beginning in 1941. The member who had invited Brenda, Monica Tetzlaff, particularly wanted Brenda to share her experience as a teenager at the March on Washington, 1963, of which Bayard was head organizer, along with Walker helping in the background. Another half hour was devoted to question and answer, then the rest was the members each asked to make their comments on the book itself. There were a few challenging questions asked, but Brenda had prepared her answers for such questions, and her participation in this book club was a success and people left the zoom meeting with a new understanding of Rustin and Walker both.
Underground Railroad Society Wins Prize
In 2010, Brenda became a founding member of a new historical organization in our area, the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC). Formed from a group called “Friends of the Bonine House,” its original aim was restoration of the crumbling home and Underground Railroad site built in the 1840s by Quaker and Underground Railroad stationmaster, James E. Bonine.
E-Book Available Now
The electronic version of A Quaker Behind the Dream is now available in Kindle, ePub and PDF. Purchase for $9.50 at Amazon or Smashwords.
Third Place at District Speech Contest
On March 21, 2019, Brenda placed third in the Division S, District 62 Toastmasters International Speech Contest. Brenda's seven-minute speech, "My Rebel" described some of the challenges her "rebel" child presented, and how God touched his heart in a miraculous fashion.