Eva Sullivan died recently. 

She was a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Washington, DC — which is one of the toughest parts of DC. The story of her district and its family atmosphere has been used to promote the concept of the neighborhood district movement in SGI. 

Because of time constraints at the memorial service, there was a limit on the number of testimonials by the people who knew Eva Sullivan and wanted to speak a few words about how she changed their lives. Even so, dozens of people lined up to speak. They spoke about the guidance she gave to chant Daimoku for the Buddha's wisdom and her favorite Gosho quote — “A sword is useless in the hands of a coward.” 

One person told about how he went to the hospital to encourage her and walked away encouraged himself by her compassion and courage. From her hospital bed, Ms. Sullivan encouraged him to never be defeated by life's obstacles. 

Another person related the following story: 
 “When I moved from New York to Washington, DC, I called the DC Kaikan to find out the closest district discussion meeting. I was given the name and number of Eva Sullivan who lived in SE Washington. The only thing I knew about SE was that I had been robbed there once. 

“I parked a few blocks from her house in a nice residential area. It was across from a large tree-filled park. I thought this park would be a pleasant place to do shakubuku. 

“When I got to her house she said 'Let's do shakubuku.' But she walked in the opposite direction of the park. When I asked her where she was going, she said 'Good Hope Road.' 'Oh no!' I thought to myself, then said to her 'That is where I was robbed.' Ms. Sullivan said 'That's OK, you are with me.' 

“We did shakubuku on the corner where I was robbed. We did shakubuku in alleyways. Everyone there seemed to know Ms. Sullivan. She even shakubukued some tough guys who were shooting craps — she walked right in the middle of the crap game! She told them, 'You will have better luck if you chant Nam Myoho-renge-kyo.' 

“Eva Sullivan taught me to be fearless. I can do shakubuku anywhere now! She not only transformed the hearts of individuals, but also the spirit of a neighborhood.”