Amnesty International and Kansas Practitioners Hold Falun Gong Photo Exhibition and Seminar in Kansas State University (Photos)

By Practitioners in Kansas

(Clearwisdom.net) Kansas State University is located in Manhattan, a remote small town with a populations of 40,000 to 50,000. For quite some time, due to a lack of practitioners there had been few Dafa activities there. At the suggestion of practitioners from other areas, we had a breakthrough with the help of the school's Amnesty International chapter. After several email exchanges and participation at their biweekly meetings, we introduced the persecution and how practitioners had suffered in China. AI Kansas division decided at once to hold a seminar and photo exhibition at Kansas State University to expose the Jiang regime's crimes in persecuting Falun Gong.

With the help of practitioners from Kansas City, we held a 4 day A Journey to Truth Compassion Tolerance Photo Exhibition at the school's Student Activity Center. We also showed videos to expose the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners and distributed many Dafa information flyers. During the exhibition, many students and faculty members expressed their puzzlement over the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the Jiang regime. They asked how they could help stop the persecution. Some asked to learn the practice. An American girl came to our table and asked, "How could I join your activities?" A practitioner asked, "Do you want to help or learn the exercise?" She replied without hesitation, "Both." Her sincere words and pure eyes touched our hearts.

Based on the results of the photo exhibition, AI helped us hold a seminar aiming at exposing the Jiang regime's persecution of Falun Gong. Several practitioners from other areas also came to help. The seminar started with a professor from the History Department specializing in Chinese History. She gave a background introduction of the Chinese communist party's policies and history, and China's human rights situation. She also gave her understanding of the reason of the persecution of Falun Gong. After her speech, the Falun Dafa exercise demonstration video and the video "SOS! Urgent Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted in China" were showed. The true and solemn scenes moved the audience. Following that, a practitioner who was studying at Kansas State University told her personal experience in China where she was detained twice. Her testimony made the audience feel that the persecution was not so far away from them. An American practitioner who went to Tiananmen to appeal for Falun Gong told the audience why he went there and the rough treatment he received in Beijing. His speech further raised the audience's concern about the persecution. Finally four practitioners demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises. The planned one-hour seminar lasted 90 minutes, and about 40 people attended. They all signed the letter to city and state governments and had a long talk with practitioners afterwards.

During the 4 day photo exhibition and seminar, practitioners overcame various difficulties and played an active role as Falun Dafa disciples. Some practitioners ran back and forth between Kansas City and Manhattan to clarify the truth to city officials. Some practitioners came to the seminar right after work. Through the activities practitioners realized that their righteous thoughts are very powerful. If our righteous thoughts are strong and we collaborate as one body, non-practitioners can give us help when we need it. Doing so not only reduces our workload, but also offers the opportunity for them to establish a future relationship.

Amnesty International offered great help during the weeklong activity. From offering ideas, contacting school management, printing materials to inviting government officials, student organizations, distributing flyers, writing letters and news reports, we had always had their help. They only have a few members but they are all very kind and hard workers. Here we express our sincere appreciation.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2002/11/19/39762.html

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