Walk the Walk: Day Seven - Warrenton to Manassas, Virginia

August 26 2020
August 26 2020

By

Church community,

Today was our seventh day together and our sixth day on the road. We’ve gone 90 miles so far. About 40 to go. It was hot as blazes out there, and as we walked along one lane of the Robert E. Lee Interstate, you could feel the heat radiating off the asphalt.

It was a privilege to walk today with 7-year-old Maya, 8-year-old-Aria, and their dad, Shane. They live in a small Virginia town and heard about our walk on the radio. They showed up this morning, fired up and ready to roll. The girls were amazing - happily leading us from the front. Our core crew - those who are walking the full distance from Charlottesville to Washington, DC - is about 15 people. But we are picking up walkers and will be joined by many more as we approach Black Lives Plaza in DC where we our group will be part of the March on Washington event.

While I’ve been part of more marches and protests than I can count, I’ve never felt the power of “witness” the way I feel it this week. Folks are joining us who either saw us walking down the highway and looked us up, or heard about us on the radio. Several of them have practically wept with relief and joy at being able to connect with others who share their commitment to “just do something” right now. White people who feel alienated from their own communities when they proclaim that “Black Lives Matter.”
We’re certainly getting love in the form of honks and shouts from passing vehicles. And a good share of what one of my comrades calls, “Southern Blessings” - insults hurled from truck windows, obscene gestures and curses, and shouts of “White Lives Matter More,” and “Traitor!” I think it matters that a group of mostly-white faith leaders are walking down Robert E. Lee Highway carrying “Black Lives Matter” signs.

I think that Aria and Maya will be with us again tomorrow. I hope that as they grow up - wherever they find themselves - they remember how it felt to lead a group of people who believe that a world where Jacob Blake’s children would not watch their father shot by police, and a world where Breonna Taylor, right now, would be coming off a shift after saving lives as an EMT would be possible. I hope they are as marked by this short time on this hot road as I am.

Linda

Walkthewalk2020

*I am participating in a nine-day, 140 mile walk from Charlottesville, Virginia to Washington, DC as part of the national “Walk the Walk” pilgrimage of white faith leaders to RECKON with the anti-Blackness that permeates our past and present as a nation and as faith institutions, RESOLVE to advance racial justice in our faith traditions and nation, and REFRAME the faith narrative in this nation. This is co-organized by Faith in Action, the national network of POWER Interfaith, of which our congregation is a part. More here at https://walkthewalk2020.us/


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