Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
PHOTOS: Walk for Peace monks make extended stop in Montgomery
Reading time: 4 minutes
After officially reaching their half-way point on their 120-day, 2,300-mile journey by foot, a group of monks walking for peace spent a few days in Alabama’s capital city.
Bham Now’s sister brand, Bama Buzz, traveled to Montgomery for their big day of events, which included visiting Montgomery city hall, praying for lives lost during the Civil Rights Movement and getting a massive group photo on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol.
They stayed longer than originally intended in Montgomery, and they made the most of their day.
Here are some moments we captured throughout their walk across Montgomery.
When the monks first awoke Tuesday, Dec. 23, they emerged from their resting spot of Alabama Union Station to a crowd of hundreds who came to join them on their day’s walk.
Then, they set off for the day.
Because so many people showed up to see the monks and learn from them, there was a sizable police presence escorting them throughout the city. Folks weren’t allowed to get too close so they could walk without being obstructed.
One of their stops was the Court Square Fountain to deliver “prayers of healing.”
The historic fountain was built in 1885 over an existing artesian well, but more importantly, Court Square was “host to a massive slave market and the location from which the telegraph that ignited the Civil War at Fort Sumter was sent,” according to The Historical Marker Database.
The crowd was respectful and stayed nearly silent while the monks delivered their prayer. Even the monks’ dog, Aloka, seemed reverent.
Then, they walked further to the Montgomery City Hall, where several people spoke, the monks received resolutions in recognition of their historic feat and attendees listened to words of wisdom from Walk For Peace’s spiritual leader Bhikkhu Pannakara.
Finally, the monks and the people of Montgomery made their way to the steps of the Alabama State Capitol.
After their walk through Downtown Montgomery, the monks walked to Vaughn Park for their lunch.
Photos weren’t allowed as the monks ate, but we got some photos of everything around the lunch.
After all of those exciting events, it was only about 2PM. The monks walked further to a local Buddhist temple, where they congregated with the temple’s members and prepared to sleep for the night.
The next day, Wednesday, Dec. 24, they woke up and began another long walk to Tuskegee via US-80.
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