'Friends of Change' remember peace activist with memorial

Marking the one year anniversary of the suicide of local peace activist Kathy Change, the "Friends of Change" organization held the first annual "Tribute and Memorial" for her yesterday. Change killed herself by lighting her body on fire in front of Van Pelt Library in an effort to call attention to her political views last October 22. Change, 46, had been a campus fixture for years, where her colorful dancing and banners endeared her to many students, few of whom realized she was protesting the American government. As part of yesterday's events, Friends of Change held a memorial program at the Christian Association. Approximately 25 people gathered to hear local performers, activists and friends of Change perform tributes to her memory. Among the different performances were speeches, poems, songs and dances that paid tribute to Change and her work. "I think Kathy's life was about change and transformation and I want tonight to be about change and transformation," local activist Lynne Robinson said in a speech remembering Change's legacy. Many performances centered around the theme of how Change's suicide had affected the lives of others. "Since that day, my life was transformed,"said Anita King, a member of Friends of Change. The group also highlighted many causes Change might have supported if she were still alive, such as human rights violations in Third World countries. Robinson discussed the difficulty Change and other activists, such as herself, encounter in attempting to get people involved in such causes. "I don't want to burn out, but I almost have," Robinson said. Earlier in the day, several people turned out for a memorial service at the Peace Sign. They observed a moment of silence at 11:48 a.m., the time of Change's death. After the service, some group members performed a scene from Change's play, The Transformation. "I thought [the play] was so brilliant," local activist Bob Harris said. "It brought me back to a certain energy." In conjunction with the Asian Pacific Student Coalition and the Penn Chapter of Amnesty International, Friends of Change also sponsored a discussion session and a "Transformation Workshop." The day's events ended with a drum circle around the Peace Sign last night. During her life, Change founded and led the Transformation Party, which advocated a peaceful overhaul of America's present political system. She wanted the country's population to congregate and create an ideal government based on the idea of direct democracy. Shortly before she died, Change delivered a package of her papers, including a work about the reasons for her suicide, to six students, two local residents and several news organizations, including The Daily Pennsylvanian. "I truly believe that my death will make people more sympathetic towards me and interested in my work and ideas," she wrote in one paper.

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