Congratulations from People from All Walks of Life,
Practitioners Express Gratitude to People That Support Falun Gong.
On December 8th, Falun Dafa practitioners from Atlanta and other states held activities in celebration of Falun Dafa Day and Human Right Week. The event took place in Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta and was covered by Atlanta's World Daily newspaper.
A banner reading "Falun Dafa in Atlanta" was hung high above the podium, and several dozen large posters were placed on the side of road in view of the passersby. A large "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance" banner was hung between two trees. There was a TV playing "Falun Gong: The Real Story", and all kinds of information was available for free, including newspapers and Falun Gong pins.
The ceremony was started with an opening statement. We read the letter proclaiming Falun Dafa Day in Atlanta from Mayor of Atlanta, Bill Campbell, and read the certificate of Human Rights Week issued by Georgia state governor Roy Barnes. We also read the certificate of honorary citizenship issued by State Secretary Cathy Cox to Mr. Li Hongzhi, and the congratulatory letter from Senator Max Cleland, Congressman Johnny Isakson, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Congressman Jack Kingston and a consul of Germany at Atlanta Heinrich Peter Rothmann.
Falun Gong practitioners took this opportunity to express our gratitude to government officers, organizations, schools and all walks of life who support Falun Gong.
An American Falun Gong practitioner hosted the ceremony. The vice-chairman of the Southern region at Amnesty International, Derreck Kayongo, was invited to give a speech. He talked about Falun Gong from human rights perspective. They are willing to help Falun Gong practitioners to stop Chinese government's violations of human rights.
A female practitioner from Tennessee spoke about her mother being illegally sentenced to 3 years in a labor camp due to her practicing Falun Gong. Her mother is forbidden to see her family.
A lot of people signed the appeal letter. Some even gave their phone numbers and asked to receive further updates on China's human rights situation.
12/13/2000
