Hundreds of people of any race, faith and age —many as activists of the Occupy Wall Street movement — gathered at the Riverside Church to honor the spirit of Martin Luther King. The gathering started in front of Saint John Divine, to become a candlelight march to the Riverside Church.
Short speeches alternating to music performances made this celebration greatly inspiring, and giving hope for real change. The music included soul, hip-hop, country and chanting from Buddhist Monks. The call for economical justice —enmesh with world peace and respect for the our planet resources— is the common goal for this leaderless non-violence movement, as the world-spread Occupy becomes increasingly representative of the interests of the 99% of people.
For me one the most beautiful moments perhaps was the silent Buddhist meditation initiated by the Buddhist Monk Rev. T.K. Nakagaki; it reminded me of the 1991 sunrise meditation for world peace with the Dalai Lama, one of the most powerful moments of collective energy.
A gathering which filled my heart with hope and gave energy to continue the daily struggle, making the Martin Luther King dream alive as:
“We believe in a world in which all people are created equally in all nations, of all faiths”
