The World Without Wars organization launched a 99,000 mile march on Oct. 2 that will span six continents and call for the elimination of wars, nuclear weapons and violence.
The World March for Peace and Nonviolence started in Wellington, New Zealand, and will end in Punta De Vacas, Argentina, in January. Stops include New Delhi; Bethlehem, Palestinian Territory; Berlin; and the U.S. in late November.
The group will be in New York City on Nov. 30 and plans to step through the District on Dec. 2. The organization encourages everyone to attend to promote peace and nonviolence, and take part in a tribute to Martin Luther King at the Lincoln Memorial.
Chris Wells, U.S. spokesman for the march, said the organization wants the message “to reach far.”
“The march is a symbolic cord that holds it together,” Mr. Wells said of the peace message. “It’s so powerful and we’d like to see people join. It’s extraordinary. [The march] is connecting people and it has great support.”
The World March does have a lot of support and has been endorsed by former President Jimmy Carter and the Dalai Lama, among other Nobel Peace Prize laureates. It also has the support of organizations such as Mayors for Peace, Abolition 2000, Veterans for Peace and Code Pink. Other notables supporting the cause include writers Noam Chomsky and Eduardo Galeano, along with celebrities Yoko Ono, Cate Blanchett and Viggo Mortensen.
The team of marchers who are walking around the world is made up of roughly 25 people. The international coordinator and founder of World Without Wars, Rafael de la Rubia, will be speaking in the District.
The group plans to meet with government representatives during the stop in the District.
“They are going to come through the U.S. and bring the message to our nation’s capital,” Mr. Wells said.
Oct. 2 was chosen in celebration of Mahatma Ghandi’s birthday and the International Day of Nonviolence.
When the 93-day journey of marches, festivals and forums ends at the foot of Mount Aconcagua on Jan. 2 in Argentina, the World Without Wars organization hopes it will have spread the message of peace and nonviolence.
“It is a beautiful message,” Mr. Wells said.
Anyone interested in attending the events in the District as well as in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco or other cities, is encouraged to check out the Pressenza Web site at www.pressenza.com.
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