Did you join us last fall for Changemakers Across Borders? If so, I don't have to tell you that it was a special evening.

Fifty people from many walks of life joined us for a compelling, honest, and emotionally renewing evening. Please join us in re-living a few of the highlights below.

Our sincere gratitude to the Free Library of Philadelphia, and to the Library's New Americans Committee member Titus Moolathara (below), for allowing us to use their space for our event. This evening would not have been possible without the Library's generosity.

Titus Moolathara

Free Library of Philadelphia, New Americans Committee

As event attendees arrived, they were greeted by an array of nearly a dozen vibrant photographs

Manisha Patel

highlighting Philadelphia's Bhutanese community.

Photographer Manisha Patel chose to focus her work on a single family of refugees from this small Southeast Asian nation.

Attendee viewing Manisa's photos

Numerous attendees were captivated by Manisha's deeply felt photographs, which blend rich colors and heartfeltfamily portraits.

Several attendees lingered in front of a photo for long moments, absorbed in their own thoughts.

Short vignettes next to each photo provided context and stories about the subjects.

One young man looks directly into the camera, confidently gazing into his American future.

The picture becomes more profound as the reader learns that he is a respected teacher and attorney, forced by the migration process to start over professionally.

Manish

a found that many refugee parents have concerns about their youth, with adults worrying about how young people will integrate into American culture while making sure their birth culture isn't lost.

After the exhibit, the formal part of the evening began with a presentation by Samip Mallick of the South Asian American Digital Archive.

Samip showed video footage of Dr. King describing how he had first come to hear of Mahatma Gandhi, at a speech King had attended in Philadelphia. Tracing the impact of that night, Samip explained how the concepts Dr. King heard became incorporated into his own thinking and communication in the years to come.

Samip Mallick

Next, Reverend David Brown drew the audience back to the night of April 4, 1968 and Dr. King's assassination. He eloquently reflected on the significance of the event in his own childhood and how it has resonated in our society since.

At one point, Rev. Brown lifted his phone to the audience, which was rich with individuals from various cultures and walks of life, saying:

"I'm not taking a selfie. I want to take a picture of you. Because this is what Philadelphia should look like."

Reverend David Brown

Finally, the audience grew quiet as the moderator asked each attendee to privately think of a person or idea that had flowed across borders to influence them as individuals.

Participants Listen Attentivelly

After the reflection, participants were eager to share personal stories of their backgrounds and activism.

One college-aged woman shared her enthusiasm for working with youth even younger than herself. Another elder shared frank, vivid memories of school violence and race relations, and added his hopes for the future.

His heartfelt words lingered in the air as attendees slowly made their way to the exits.

We hope you enjoyed this photographic reflection of our event. Special thanks to Peace Day Philly and all of our partners and participants for their wholehearted support.

About the Speakers

Rev. David W. Brown

A graduate of Duquesne University, where he majored in Journalism, Rev.

David W. Brown received his Masters of Theological Studies with a focus

in Social Policy from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now known

as the Palmer Theological Seminary).

David W. Brown

Rev. Brown is an Ordained Deacon in Full Connection within the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and is a member of the ministry staff at Arch Street United

Methodist Church in Center City Philadelphia. As Deacon, his work includes issues around race, gender equality, casino opposition, public education reform, economic development and healthcare reform.

He is a Past President of the Black United Methodist Preachers in Greater Philadelphia and is the current Vice Coordinator of Black Methodists for Church Renewal for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. He is a member of NewCORE, a multiracial and interfaith coalition based in Philadelphia.

Rev. Brown is also the author of Freedom Drawn from Within - a history honoring the impact African Americans have had in shaping the modern United Methodist Church.

In addition to ministry, Rev. Brown is also the Executive Director of the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC), a nonprofit child literacy

organization, and a frequent columnist in the news media.

Rev. Brown was recently named a "Champion of Change" by the Obama

Administration.

Samip Mallick

Samip Mallick

Samip Mallick is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of SAADA, the only independent organization working nationally to give voice to South Asian Americans through documenting,preserving, and sharing stories that representtheir unique and diverse experiences.

Mr. Mallick was formerly the Director of the Ranganathan Center for Digital Information at the University of Chicago Library.

He holds a M.S. in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois, a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan College of Engineering and has done graduate work in Indian History at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Mr. Mallick was also previously the Assistant Bibliographer for the Southern Asia Collection at the University of Chicago Library and has worked for the South Asia and International Migration Programs at the Social Science Research Council.