(Minghui.org) The 15th annual African Festival of Boston took place August 16 and 17, 2025, in the Boston Commons. The vibrant music, ethnic costumes, and handicraft booths attracted a large number of visitors. Practitioners who participated in the event told people about Falun Dafa, demonstrated the exercises, and collected signatures on a petition asking Massachusetts senators to support the Falun Gong Protection Act.

Practitioners participated in the annual African Festival of Boston on August 16 and 17, 2005.

“I Will Definitely See Shen Yun Next Year”

One woman said she was drawn to the booth. A practitioner told her how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes Falun Gong practitioners and its crime of live organ harvesting. She gave the woman a flier that describes the CCP’s transnational repression of Falun Gong and the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company. The woman signed her name and wrote down her address on a petition that asks Massachusetts senators and congressmen support the Falun Gong Protection Act.

The woman pointed to the image of Shen Yun on the flier and said, “I’ve always wanted to see this show and I heard it was a perfect show.” When she learned that Shen Yun and the artists are slandered by the CCP because the show includes programs about the persecution of Falun Gong, she said that if Shen Yun is attacked for telling the truth, then everyone should attend the performances to show their support. “I will definitely see Shen Yun next year,” she said.

“Thank You for Telling Us the Truth”

A young couple stopped at the booth, and the man read the petition for the Falun Gong Protection Act. He asked why Falun Gong was being persecuted. A practitioner explained what Falun Gong is, how the persecution began, and what practitioners have endured over the past 26 years. She also described how the persecution has extended its reach overseas.

The man said he signed the petition because he thought it was his duty. He asked several questions, such as “Is faith prohibited in China?” and “What is the development of Christianity in China?” The practitioner had an in-depth discussion with them on these two issues and gave them a recently-updated flier on the CCP’s transnational repression. They accepted the flier and told practitioners they would read them carefully. Before they left, the man told the practitioners, “Thank you for telling us the truth. Thank you for what you have done.”

A practitioner talked to a Chinese woman and her two children, who stopped in front of the booth. The woman remained silent, as if she wanted to keep a distance.

The practitioner told her that people in China cannot practice Falun Gong freely, but they can in the United States, and Falun Gong is protected in the United States.

Then the practitioner told her the facts about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation hoax staged by the CCP. The woman listened attentively and appeared thoughtful.