In these difficult times of physical distancing, this International Day of Peace will be dedicated to fostering dialogue and collecting ideas. The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace by the UN is “Shaping Peace Together.” Amidst the pandemic, the racial disturbance, prejudice, we at Heartfulness Institute, are celebrating the day by spreading compassion, kindness, and hope in the face of the pandemic. We stand together with the UN against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred.
LaShaun Martin and Jennifer Burden are joining us with an engrossing discussion about human equality, justice for all, and dignity, and building upon these to achieve peace, joy, love, kindness, and optimism in today’s tough times.
Practices of the heart, of compassion, of loving-kindness – these could bring about a complete shift in awareness, consciousness, and a heart-based conscious mental awakening to create true well-being among one and all.
Speaker: LaShaun Martin is the National Vice President, Operations of Mocha Moms, Inc., a non-profit organization with nearly 100 chapters in 29 states, and an online presence of more than 100,000 followers, dedicated to supporting mothers of color. Mochas host educational summits, health and wellness symposiums, and financial literacy workshops. Mochas are actively engaged in weekly support group meetings, moms-only events, and a wide range of community service. LaShaun has spent more than 18 years in organization management, working in the public and private sectors with the State of California and Maryland Department of Corrections, national 9-1-1 Emergency systems, Criminal Justice Information System, Parole Commission, Governor’s StateStat, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) programs and Hewlett Packard with clients in Asia, Europe, and the United States. A community activist and entrepreneur, LaShaun is passionate about service and has partnered with Heart of Haiti, Her Zimbabwe, St. Ann’s Infant and Maternity Home, The United Nations Foundation – Shot@Life Campaign in the U.S. and Uganda, Africa as a Social Media Fellow. She has also worked with and hosted events for the Obama White House, Wells Fargo, Disney Studios, NBC, Universal Pictures, Lionsgate Films, Sony Pictures, Turkish Airlines, Social Good Summit, Lifetime TV and McDonald’s. LaShaun is a charter member of the Greater Suburban Maryland Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
As an accomplished singer, songwriter, and vocal trainer, LaShaun released her solo album in June 2020 titled, “Be Still,” a soul-stirring anthem of encouragement. LaShaun was selected among 100 Power Women of Color where she is featured in a book of the same title, as well as in the Charles Sumner Museum in Washington D.C. where her portrait is displayed.
Speaker: Jennifer Burden is the Founder and CEO of World Moms Network, an award-winning website on global motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. World Moms Network writes from over 30 countries, has over 70 contributors and was listed by Forbes as one of the “Best 100 Websites for Women”, named a “must-read” by The New York Times, and was recommended by The Times of India. She was also invited to Uganda to view UNICEF’s family health programs with Shot@Life and was previously named a “Global Influencer Fellow” and “Social Media Fellow” by the UN Foundation. She participated in the One Campaign’s first AYA Summit on the topic of women and girl empowerment and spoke on an international panel at the World Bank in Washington, DC on the importance of universal education for all girls. Her writing has been featured by Baby Center, Huffington Post, ONE.org, the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life, and The Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists.” Jennifer is beginning an Executive Masters of Public Affairs with a concentration in global policy at Columbia University in NYC this fall to further her advocacy for women and children.
Takeaways:
- Human equality, justice for all, and dignity – how to achieve it?
- Sustainable human transformation in communities
- How loving people make genuine mistakes and learn from them?
- Promoting Peace in the face of prejudice and hatred.
- #PeaceDay and #Heartfulness
Who Can Attend
Open to all.