Scene in Wakulla- Healing Through Theater and the Power of One

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!

Hoy we revisit a series of events that happened in my home town of Crawfordville . It's a little rural town, but it has lots of heart and caring. One of our major prides is that it's home to the Palaver Tree Theater Company . Under its' director Herb Donaldson, the passion and power of drama has taken us on many journeys. Sharing topics ranging from racism to the history of our town, this theater company runs with our emotions and we trust their vision. Palaver introduces us to other topics or views that we never really thought about or dwelled upon. As BB wrote in the prior Scene in Wakulla post, positives can be made out of negatives, and most times it begins with the power of One.

On the last night of the Scene in Wakulla 2013 Film & Playwriting Festival, we were introduced to Agnes Furey and her book Wildflowers in the Median: A Restorative Journey into Healing, Justice and Joy. A dramatic reading/adaptation brought the story of Agnes' heartwrenching pain when she was told that her daughter and grandson had been murdered, and her finding forgiveness and healing when she reached out to Leonard Scovens, the man who committed the crimes. Book excerpt:

Introduction

To understand something about how one person can forgive and how another can kill, we must know something essential about ourselves. What makes the forgiver different from most of the rest of us, who want to kill the killer in the name of justice? What makes the killer different from most of the rest of us, who only sanction killing as an act of either revenge or protection? Or are they really different from any of us at all? Don't we all begin by loving our mothers, worshipping our fathers, tolerating our siblings, and crawling before we walk? When do we diverge? Where in our journey can we find the moment that determines whether we will kill or forgive? ~Agnes Furey

It is no Universal coincidence that Kurt Wadsworth was going to be visiting family in the area when this event was being organized. As the founder of March for Life and Justice this young man has started a march to stop the death penalty, beginning with 2,000 + miles in Florida. An excerpt from his Feibu page:

"On May 25, 2013, I decided to embark on a march across Florida to end the death penalty. I have now committed to marching through all 32 states in the United States that still have the death penalty as a form of punishment and I will walk through India and all countries if need be to stop the use of the death penalty. An injustice that affects all of human society must be brought to an end and can only be done if all are included and united. A change in society must be understood by all or it will and can be reversed."

" We have a choice to either perpetuate the crime of violence or to not perpetuate violence. We have that choice. I choose to end violence, I choose to end the death penalty. We have lost many lives, many lives lost by people taking life, we have lost innocent life by execution. How many more must die in the name of "Justice?" How many families shall be even in loss and love? How long must we allow a very imperfect system of taking human life continue? My faith in humanity, government, and religion becomes stronger every step I take and every person I meet. I will never give up on the pursuit of human society becoming more humane, more just, and more peaceful. - Love, Kurt"