Wasco student sings at Peace Concert

A seventh-grade student from Thomas Jefferson Middle School saluted Martin Luther King Jr. in the Beale County Library's annual Peace Concert Satrrday.

Other students presented speeches about well-known peace activists at the concert.

The peace concert was originally set up to honor those who preached nonviolence in their everyday life. "This is the first time young people have taken the stage for this event," said host Kaya Leyedecker.

Khushali Desai presented a talk on Mahatma Gandhi, and also sang one of his favorite songs.

Amaia M. Marquez and Alexyss Gridiron both contributed to the afternoon by highlighting Martin Luther King and providing a brief history of his work. Amaia M. Marquez sang while Alexyss Gridiron gave a speech on Martin Luther King. Accompanying musician Terry Cano said, "She is really good, especially for her young age."

Christina Sandoval gave a presentation on Cesar Chavez; she also sang a song. In addition to a presentation on Chavez, Great granddaughter of Dolores Huerta, Paloma Lopez-Ybarra, shared and sang about Dolores Huerta and her involvement in the farmworkers movement.

Providing traditional dancing entertainment, Escuelas Unidad Dancers performed several traditional Mexican dances in full costume. The audience was delighted with their performance by the length of audience members clapping.

Dr. Carol Carnes spoke about His Holiness the Dalai Lama, while Lindsay Sharp sang a traditional Tibetan song.

Rounding out the program was Nirmal Qazi, who spoke about and performed an original song honoring Malala Yousafzai. The presentation was on human rights for all.

Hosts for the event were Portia Choi, Braxton Briscoe and Leyedecker.