Peace walks throughout North America
Members and allies of the Fellowship of Reconciliation are leading peace walks throughout the continent in the coming weeks. This Sunday, FOR Executive Director Mark Johnson will join the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist order (Grafton Peace Pagoda) at the launch of a 16-day peace pilgrimage from Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, in New York’s Hudson Valley, to Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Vermont.
The walk will commence on Sunday, April 10th at 11 a.m. in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. Organizers of the peace piligrage described its purpose as follows:
On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan. This earthquake triggered a devastating Tsunami with 77 foot high waves that struck the shores of Japan only minutes after the earthquake was felt. As a result of these two enormously tragic events the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant suffered explosions and created a very serious nuclear crisis. Radiation contamination polluted the air, water and food supplies in that area. In addition people have died from Radiation poisoning and many others remain ill. There still is no telling what the long- term affects will be to the people of Japan.
Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in NY state was built 40 years ago and has the same design as the plant in Fukushima. Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in VT has had continuous hazards over the years with leaks and fires. Governors Andrew Cuomo (NY) and Peter Shumlin (VT) have both spoken out against these nuclear power plants and have been working to try to get these plants closed. At the same time the Federal Nuclear Regulation Committee is trying to extend the licenses for these two power plants to remain open. The government of Germany is taking steps to close all 11 of their nuclear power plants, while the US government is advocating for more nuclear energy.
We walk together in love and solidarity to pray for those affected by the tragedy in Japan and as a meditation upon a future world that is nuclear free. So that all living beings upon the earth may live in peace and safety.
We will walk a total of 206 miles, typically walking 15-18 miles per day. Feel free to join the walk at any point for any length of time. Please respect that the walk will be free of drugs, alcohol and weapons. If you plan to join us for more than a day, please bring a sleeping bag.
For more information:
* Grafton Peace Pagoda - Jun-san: (518) 658-9301
* Julie MacDonald: (518) 307-2715
A flyer with the route of the peace walk can be downloaded from this page as a MS Word document.
Two weeks ago, on March 23rd, Peter Prusinowski, a resident of Fishtown, Pennsylvania, launched a 2,000-mile solo walk that will last for eight months. A press release said:
There will be no corporate sponsors and no cars following with supplies. … Armed with his cameras, his walk will trace the Lenape Indian migration from the Delaware Valley to Bartlesville, Oklahoma and highlight events along the way on what he is calling “The Trail of Hope.”
Prusinowski came to the United States from Poland in 1976. His love of history and a discovery of the world of photography merged and began to shape his new life. The story of William Penn and Tamanend and their 1682 Treaty of Friendship became part of what he feels is his destiny. “My desire to spread the life altering elements of love, peace and friendship among humanities mirrored the very intentions of William Penn in 1682 along the riverbank in the same neighborhood I immigrated to.”
Prusinowski views the walk as a journey of sharing, discovery and reflection. He will take along still and video cameras to preserve the stories he will hear along the way. He will tell his own story about finding purpose in one’s life and how together we can make a difference in our world. He will photograph sites that tell of the past and the present. Ultimately, the photographs of his experiences on the Trail of Hope will be presented in an exhibit to inspire peace, love and hope for future generations.
His route will take him across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas to Oklahoma. In addition to his cameras, he will carry only a cell phone, laptop computer and a small backpack. He plans to walk about 20 miles a day and then will stop at night along the way. “I believe that the gentle shadow of the Great Elm Tree’s canopy will follow me along this trail, like an eagle protecting me under its wings,” he said.
Prusinowski has established a blog about his journey. He will update it as he walks. The Penn Treaty Museum, an online museum, will also maintain contact with him.
The Nevada Desert Experience will hold its annual Christian Holy Week walk to the national Nevada Nuclear Test Site, north of Las Vegas. And this year a simultaneous walk organized by NDE will go to the Creech Air Force Base, to protest the continued operation of drone aircraft from its base.
The Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation, a Philadelphia-based multi-faith community initiated by FOR member Vic Compher (and inspired by FOR members Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and Abdul-Rauf Campos-Marquetti, the cofounders of the Muslim-Jewish Peace Walk), will hold its eighth annual walk on May 22, 2011.
We invite you to join FOR and our allies in participating in these spiritually-grounded and politically-prophetic piligrimages for peace.
