#walk4peace: July 4, 2020 - Aug 11, 2020, Birmingham, AL. to Sandusky, OH.
Total miles covered; 300 miles walked; 185 miles ridden by bike; 78 drive miles (un-walkable point to point).
Part 1Walk4Peace20 started as a concept in the summer of 2019. Politics, and the state of affairs, in the United States was so dismal under the current administration that I tweeted that I would walk across the U.S. in protest. A close friend from high school saw this tweet and stated, if I did the walk, she would walk with me. I then put together a plan of action. At the time, because of my job, I had no idea how this would manifest itself in regards to time, and cost. I just knew in my heart, that it was possible, and it was my calling.
I contacted another friend who works in radio, and asked if she would help promote the walk, in the hopes of gaining media traction.. and funding. Although I had no idea how much something like this would cost, I did understand that it would take more than my vehicle and a couple of my friends who had some free time. I also know the power of social media and how things gain momentum with the right voices.
Over the course of the next few months, a few things coincidentally happened. I flew to Portugal to meet some college friends for an annual, international meetup - this was the catalyst for action on my part, regardless of any outside support. This group, my tribe, supports each other in such a manner that any, and all of us, at any given time, could rule the world with the positive energy and support we give freely to one another. When I returned from Portugal in February, Coronavirus, or Covid-19, was rapidly becoming the biggest health crisis in the history of the world at a breakneck pace. The world was going into quarantine. Meanwhile, the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Elijah McClain were making headlines as each week another unarmed Black person was being killed at the hands of the police. The world was literally on fire. I knew the time to take action was "now". I needed to make a statement, as a woman of color, and as a parent. It was time for me to display my personal accountability and stand up for our rights as citizens, to stand up for civil rights as humans, and as an American.
Then, I lost my job. My initial request to take some unpaid, personal time off was responded to with a generous severance package and "Best wishes". At this point, I had absolutely nothing holding me back.
I set the start date, and began the search for an RV to buy, or rent, as a safety vehicle. I rallied my friends together as volunteers to drive the vehicle, a week at a time, and requested various people along the route to possibly host me one night so I could get a shower, and maybe a hot meal. This was the most difficult task, because we were in the midst of a full blown pandemic. But, my friends showed up. As did my family members on my fathers side. All educators and activists, they understood the journey I was on, and I think, on some level, realized I was going to do it with or without anyone’s help. No one can change the world without action, and it is rare to change a corrupt system without help. I will never be able to repay my friends who stood next to me during this seven week journey. It showed their belief in our shared values, but also their trust in me to be successful and stand up for what is right in the world.
I designed a press release and statement of purpose. I reached out to every civil rights office and media outlet between my home town and my goal city. I wanted to get the word out about what I was planning and have people join me interactively along the way. It was more of a social media campaign that people could watch from the comfort and safety of their couch yet still feel like they were participating. Only a couple of news outlets responded, and surprisingly, not one civil rights organization responded at all.
My walk 4 peace was a singular statement at best, until people in every town I walked through started asking me what I was doing. The feedback was positive. Every person that asked, and waited for an answer, gave positive feedback and encouragement. Strangers reached out over the course of the seven weeks with questions, and to check on me. Confirming again and again that we are all connected, and we all want the best for our communities.
I now look at some of the "firsts" organizations, like MADD, and acknowledge what the rest of the world must have thought when the first mom and her friends were standing up for what they believed in, and fought for change.
Civil rights are human rights. Our kids lives matter.
There are so many levels as to what happened, and the order in which it happened, all equally important, but the most important being, no matter what happened, I just kept going. When one person told me no, another stepped up almost immediately. When the RV seller turned out to be a con-woman trying to sell a vehicle she had no right to sell, a rental became available. When I simply got so tired and emotionally drained that I questioned my sanity and wanted to give up, I would receive a sign, or two from the universe urging me to continue on. From the organization, and the preparation, to the monetary gifts, to the strangers that kept encouraging me, to the last week of one foot in front of the other until I reached my goal.
This is my story...
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