(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Houston held a rally on Bellaire Boulevard on April 24, 2021, commemorating practitioners’ peaceful April 25 Appeal in Beijing 22 years ago. They exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa, and called for the public to help stop the persecution.

Falun Gong practitioners hold up banners along Bellaire Boulevard in Houston.

On April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners appealed to the National Appeal Office in Beijing. They requested that practitioners illegally arrested in Tianjin be released, and sought the confirmation of their lawful right to practice their belief. Their calm and peaceful appeal under the CCP’s dictatorship established a remarkable landmark in Chinese history.

Mr. Song from the Southern USA Falun Dafa Association addressed the rally. He introduced the background of the appeal and the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa.

Mr. Yang said that he first heard about Falun Dafa when he watched news on TV about practitioners in Taiwan describing the CCP's persecution. “My instinct told me that whatever the CCP suppresses are good things. I was surprised to learn how quickly Falun Dafa was welcomed by people in so many countries. I always admired the profound spiritual practice, and believed it could help my wife with with her Hepatitis B. I decided to practice Falun Dafa and I told my wife about it.”

Rakesh Nayak said he also started practicing Falun Dafa after the CCP launched the persecution. Mr. Nayak said, “My wife gave me the book Zhuan Falun as a birthday gift in 2011. It turned out to be the most precious gift I ever received in my life. As I applied Falun Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my life, I found myself more calm and understanding. My family and friends noticed my positive changes. My mom said that Falun Dafa magically changed me. She and my sister also started practicing. My mom’s chronic migraines were gone. All the past medical treatments had failed. Falun Dafa gave her great health.” Mr. Nayak and his family participate in truth clarification activities to help people learn the truth about the persecution.

During the rally, a Chinese man approached the Global Service Center for Quitting Chinese Communist Party's booth, and asked for information. Mr. Zhang from the service center explained the significance of quitting the CCP organizations. The man decided to quit the Youth League and Young Pioneers, which he had joined as a child. He also took copies of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Partyand the Ultimate Goal of Communism.

After the rally, a car parade drove around Chinatown to further spread the message of Falun Dafa.