Portland Pearl Rotary Club

Rotarians join No Kings III
demonstrations in Portland
Pearl Rotarians on the march: The Rotary International Four-Way test was one of the placards on display Saturday during the No Kings event in Portland. Members of PPRC's Social Justice Committee joined the protest--both in a small group that gathered and also by individual Rotarians and their families. Two pictures were submitted to the Post--one showing SJC co-chair Kelly Morrow proclaiming RI's plea for peace and justice in our world. The quartet (top image above): Dawn Schneider, front; and from left, Jan Berger, Nance Reynolds, Kelly.

"Peace Is a Practice"--author
Reba J. Parker inspires Rotarians
Portland Pearl Rotary welcomed author, sociology professor and peace advocate Reba J. Parker as its featured speaker on March 10.

Parker, who teaches at the College of Charleston and calls Portland home, shared the transformative framework behind her book, The Peaceability Mindset: Your Ultimate Guide to Practical Peace & Personal Wellbeing.

Her talk opened with a question she has posed to thousands of students over her 25-year teaching career: "Is peace possible?"

Most people, she has found, hesitate. People have been conditioned to think of peace as either a relic of the 1960s (she queried her audience on the well-known peace symbol) or an abstract ideal—passive, soft and out of reach. Parker is on a mission to change that.

"It is well with my soul"—the words of the beloved 19th-century hymn penned by Horatio Spafford after unimaginable personal loss—grounded Parker's central message: that peace is not the absence of hardship. It is something cultivated from within, even in the midst of chaos. For Parker, that ancient spiritual wisdom aligns perfectly with modern peace science.

At the heart of her framework is the Peace Equation: Safety + Wellbeing + Interconnectedness. These three pillars, she argues, are the measurable, actionable building blocks of genuine peace—not just for individuals, but for families, communities and society at large. Paired with her Seven Peaceability Factors, the framework gives people practical tools to strengthen emotional resilience, deepen empathy, sharpen life purpose and foster meaningful relationships.

Peace, in Parker's hands, becomes a daily skill—not a destination. "You can create peace in your own home," she advised, "even when the whole world is falling apart."

For a club whose motto is Service Above Self, her message landed close to home. Rotary members already understand that peace begins with people showing up for one another. Parker simply gave that instinct a name, a structure and a roadmap. Her work mirrors Rotary International's own enduring commitment to conflict resolution and community building.

Parker specifically saluted Rotary's placement of peace poles: "Putting peace out in the community--I'm so proud of you folks." And adding later: "Rotary Clubs [aim] toward peace; it's part of your mission; it's part of who you are."

Parker's Peaceability Process—a step-by-step path from conflict to connection—is available through her website, thepeaceabilitymindset.com, along with online courses and speaking engagements.

In a world stretched thin by division and uncertainty, Reba Parker's visit was a timely reminder: Peace isn't passive. It is, as she says, a practice. And it starts with each of us.

Championing democracy: Debbie Kaye
brings League of Women Voters to PPRC

Portland's Pearl Rotary Club welcomed a passionate advocate for democratic participation. Debbie Kaye, representing the League of Women Voters of Portland, took the podium on March 3 to share the organization's century-long commitment to empowering voters and strengthening civic life.

Kaye, a past chapter president (with 36 years in the LWV), opened with a brief history lesson. The League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 — just six months before the ratification of the 19th Amendment granted women the constitutional right to vote. It was not an accident of timing. The League grew directly from the suffrage movement, born of the belief that winning the vote was only the beginning. The harder, longer work was making sure every eligible citizen knew how to use it.

That mission, she explained, has always centered on voter education. The League produces non-partisan voter guides, hosts candidate forums and runs programs that help citizens navigate the often-confusing landscape of ballots, measures and elected offices. In Oregon, where vote-by-mail has been in place for decades, the League has worked to ensure that accessibility does not come at the cost of informed choice. Regarding balloting by mail, Kaye vowed: "It is incumbent on us that the federal government does not take that away."

LWV has "a very strong reputation, like Rotary," Kaye assessed. "We have strong histories...good on you, great work."

Kaye emphasized that her organization does not stop at education. The League conducts rigorous research studies on policy issues—from housing and health care to campaign finance and environmental protection—giving members and the public substantive, fact-based foundations for civic engagement. These studies often inform the League's advocacy positions, arrived at through a careful, consensus-driven process.

Perhaps the phrase Kaye returned to most often was "strictly nonpartisan." The League does not endorse candidates, support political parties or take sides in partisan contests. Its focus, she said, is on the process of democracy itself—free and open elections (including in Oregon, mail-in voting), transparent government and an informed electorate.

The League also opposes many ways voting can be restricted, she told Rotarians. That includes gerrymandering, she reported in answer to a Rotarian's question. "That's an example of democracy not working so well."

Kaye, speaking for International Women's Day, invited the Rotarians to get involved—as volunteers, donors or simply engaged citizens. More information about the League's voter guides, upcoming forums and research initiatives is available at lwvpdx.org.

In an era of growing cynicism about institutions, Debbie Kaye made a compelling case that some institutions are still worth believing in. "We fight for your right to vote," she has said, "no matter how you vote."