Girl's Lemonade Stand Promotes Peace in Front of Westboro Baptist Church

A 5-year-old girl painted a “Pink Lemonade for Peace” sign, stuck it in the yard right across the street from Westboro Baptist Church and raked in hundreds of dollars.

Jayden Sink’s father, Jon Sink, told her about the church and its message of hate, particularly focused against homosexuality, and Jayden wanted to do something to combat that message.

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Her father, founder of the Kansas City art collective FRESHCASSETTE, called up the Equality House, which is right across the street from Westboro, and arranged for Jayden to set up her stand.

The Equality House is itself a statement against the church. Owned by Aaron Jackson of Planting Peace, the house was painted in gay pride rainbow colors in March and has received international attention.

Jayden collected more than $400 at her lemonade stand, but garnered an additional $1,000 in an online fundraising campaign through CrowdRise. 

The money she raised will be donated to Jackson’s Planting Peace organization.

The Westboro Baptist Church members didn’t take the lemonade stand well, and the Huffington Post reported that they apparently called local police and yelled profanities, calling a group of soldiers who rode out on their motocycles to support the event "bastards."

In an email to the Huffington Post, Jackson said, “As we all know, the Westboro Baptist Church puts a lot of hate into the world. Since we cannot stop them, the next best thing is to smother it with love. That is what 5-year-old Jayden accomplished today! Jayden set up a lemonade stand in front of the church. Not only did she quench the thirst of a lot of loving supporters, the money she raised was donated to Planting Peace so she could help Planting Peace promote a more peaceful world.”

Westboro Baptist Church was founded by Fred Phelps and has gained notoriety for a hate-filled message, blaming many world tragedies on God’s revenge for homosexuality and other sins. Church members picket funerals – often of soliders – and regularly picket Topeka churches.

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