For the first time, the Peace Walk combined with two other longstanding Springfield traditions – the Juneteenth Celebration at the Gammon House, a station on the Underground Railroad, and FatherFest as the end destination for its route.
The Peace Walk was organized by the Global Education and Peace Network.
“My idea of peace is we need to know each other and build bridges,” said Dr. Akber Mohammed, a member of the Masjid Al-Madina Mosque who pioneered the first peace walk last year. “Problems come when we don’t know each other. If we can join hands we can form a bigger platform.”
Mohammed was pleased to see more participation. The first event drew about 100 marchers.
The 2016 Peace Walk donated money to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. This year, members of the Miami Valley Islamic Association raised $5,000 to go to the recently formed Changing Lives Now Ministries, a new community organization to help those struggling with addiction and other problems.
Several community leaders attended and spoke including Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland, Fire Chief Nick Heimlich and Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett. The speeches talked about the dream of peace and recognized the challenges of achieving it.
The walk was preceded by the release of several white balloons, which signify peace with Burchett doing the honors.
Most of the marchers, who left City Hall to walk to the Gammon House for activities there, carried a variety of colorful signs and banners with positive messages. Several others joined in along the route.
Betty Grimes, Gammon House President and CEO, welcomed the opportunity.
“We’ve been trying to get with other organizations and felt this was a good fit,” she said. “This way we can get more and more people interested.”
Fatherhood Awards, including a posthumous award named after George Gammon, who built the house, and one each for age 35-older and under 35 were added to FatherFest and Gammon House activities this year.
Adam Banks, pastor at the First Baptist Church of Springfield, has been here less than a year and looked for ways to get involved in the community. The Peace Walk was the perfect chance.
“It’s about peace and justice, cross-cultural and generational differences and people embracing differences. I see it here already,” said Banks.
Both Mohammed and Nancy Flinchbaugh of the Global Education and Peace Network said the Peace Walk will continue as an annual community event.
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