Peace Walk History - peacewalk2024.org

Walking for Peace and Planet, Justice and Democracy

All over the world, there has been a long and illustrious history of groups, large and small, who have walked for peace and justice. Here are just a few of the many peace walks that have inspired us. There have also been some amazing and very dedicated individuals who walked thousands of miles for peace. Let’s start.

The Salt March

1930

In 1930 Mahatma Gandhi led a 24-day nonviolent civil disobedience (satyagraha) march to the Indian Ocean.

Vinoba Bhave

1951

Bhoodan walked for more than a decade, covering an estimated 70-80 thousand kilometres asking landowners to consider him a son and give him one-sixth of their land for him to distribute to the poor.

The Selma to Montgomery Marches

1965

Martin Luther King and thousands of nonviolent activists marched 54 miles from Selma, Alabama to the capitol in Montgomery as part of the campaign for equal voting rights.

San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Universal Disarmament

1960 - 1961

On December 1, 1960, just after a rally in San Francisco, ten members of the Committee for Non-Violent Action marched out of the city, intent on marching across the country.

The Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice

1976

Following the end of the Vietnam War, in the year of the US Bicentennial, the Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice was an effort to refocus attention on the urgent issues of armaments.

The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament

1986

The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament was a cross-country mass walk in 1986 with a goal of raising awareness to the growing danger of nuclear proliferation and to advocate for their complete and verifiable elimination.

Satish Kumar

In 1962, Satish Kumar set off from India on a peace walk that took him to Moscow, Paris, London and Washington DC, a journey of around 8,000 miles and two and half years.

Mildred Norman, the Peace Pilgrim

At age 44, Mildred Norman left her life circumstances and became Peace Pilgrim -- "walking coast to coast for peace for nearly 30 years, living on faith and sharing her wisdom and exuberance generously with people across the land.

History is Still Unfolding

The history of peace walks is still unfolding. On May 7, 2024, Veterans For Peace and other peace and justice organizations will begin a walk of 650 miles from Maine to Washington, DC, to demand our right to live with out fear of nuclear armageddon and that the U.S. sign onto and be in accordance with The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. We will be walking to affirm that people’s rights to food, clean water, homes, decent jobs, education and medical care must take priority over the huge sums going to manufacture weapons of war and to the military. We will share information of how war and militarism is the prime force directly damaging the climate and environment we depend upon for life. We will be walking for a green and sustainable planet and for communities everywhere.

Please read Why We Walk

Join us!

Peace Walk arrives in D.C. July 5