WILPF San Jose co-sponsored the 96th birthday commemoration for Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 18, 2025, at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose, CA. WILPF member Sharat Lin organized a fantastic 90-minute program with speakers from many organizations on the radical legacy of Dr. King. There were 150 or so people there. The library had to bring in more chairs!

WILPF had chosen a section of Dr. King’s 1967 sermon at Riverside Church, “Beyond Vietnam,” which WILPF San Jose members Paula Rochelle and Portia Gage read. Fellow WILPF members Lisa Feldburg and Shirley Kinoshita also attended. Other attendees showed great interest in WILPF’s peace and justice work; Paula put the copies of WILPF’s Peace & Freedom magazine on the table with a bowl of cookies, and about half the magazines were taken along with all 60 cookies.

It felt important to be a part of this event honoring Dr. King’s legacy. We left inspired to carry his work forward for our own time.