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PROGRESSIVE PEACE MARCHES

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      The Louisville Peace March is a series of marches between established Places of Peace throughout the city.  Each leg of the march will begin where the previous leg ended, a day, a few days, or a week later.  Places of Peace will be public parks, private houses, businesses, churches, theatres, mosques, synagogues, or other organizations that will act as hosts.
      The size of the Louisville Peace March will depend on world and local events, and on our own spirit. It will be large one day, and small the next.  It may be strenuous at times, and all need not march the full distance.   We walk no matter what the weather.  It is not meant to be convenient or to fit into everyday life, but to bring us out of our everyday lives, out of our houses, and into the world events that surround us. 

• The First leg began at 6th and Jefferson, on Saturday, February 22 and proceeded (in the rain) along Broadway and Bardstown Road to Douglas Loop: five miles or so.  

• The Second Leg will begin 3:00 Sunday March 2 at Douglas Loop and proceed along Bardstown and Taylorsville Road, through the park to Louisville Theological Seminary---about 3 miles.  There will be a service and refreshments. 

• The Third Leg will begin 1:00 Saturday March 8 at Louisville Theological Seminary and march along Lexington Road, through St. Matthews, and then along Frankfort Avenue to Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church: about 5 miles.

• The Fourth Leg will begin 12:30 Sunday March 9 at Crescent Hill Presbyterian and proceed to Crescent Hill Baptist where there will be an inter-congregational potluck meal.  It will then proceed around 2:00 to Clifton Unitarian Church on Payne Street. 

• The Fifth Leg began at 1 pm. Saturday, March 15 at Clifton Unitarian Church (2231 Payne St) along Frankfort Ave, Story Ave, Main Street, 3rd Street and Broadway to Theatre Square at 4th and Broadway: 3.8 miles.

• The Sixth Leg began at 1:30pm. Sunday, March 16 at Theatre Square at 4th and Broadway along Broadway and 6th Street to Jefferson Square at 6th and Jefferson: six blocks.  At 2:00 pm the Louisville Peace March joined the March for Justice and the Rally sponsored by the Justice Resource Center.  Speakers and musicians included Martin Luther King III, Pete Seeger and John Gage. 

• The Seventh Leg began at 12:00 noon Tuesday, March 18. It was a special weekday noon hour march from Jefferson Square at 6th and Jefferson up 6th St to Main St and down 4th St to First Unitarian Church on 4th.

• The Eight Leg will be this Sunday, March 23 and will again involve both the peace and justice communities of Louisville. There will be a brown bag lunch at 1:00pm at First Unitarian Church at 4th and York St. Everyone is invited. The march will begin there at 2:00. We will march down to 7th and Jefferson, join forces with the March for Justice, and attend their rally at 2:30. After the rally we will all march together along Broadway to Quinn Chapel at the corner of Muhammad Ali and 19th street: about 3 miles. 

• The Ninth Leg will be this Saturday, March 29 at 2pm.  We will begin at Quinn Chapel (at the corner of Muhammad Ali and 19th street), march south on 19th St, east on Broadway to 4th St, and then south on 4th St. to the campus and Operation Peace Now, the Tent City at the University of Louisville (near the Red Barn and the Student Activities Center): about 3.5 miles.  Some may wish to join us along the way at 4th and Broadway or Central Park. 

• The Tenth Leg will be Saturday April 5 at 2pm. We will begin at the University of Louisville near the Red Barn and the Student Activities Center (where Operation Peace NOW, the Tent City was) and march to Bellarmine University (about 4 miles).  Rides will be available from Bellarmine back to U of L  after the march. 

•  The Eleventh Leg will be Saturday April 12 at 2pm. We will begin at Bellarmine University in the parking lot off Norris Place by Wyatt Hall and walk to the Friends Meeting at 3050 Bon Air.  The Friends have opened their meeting house to us for a Silent Thunder after our Peace March. The March  will arrive at the Friends Meeting sometime around 3:30, where they will provide us with refreshments.  At around 4:00 we will begin an hour of silent meditation to counter the militarism of Thunder Over Louisville. Rides will be available from Bon Air back to Bellarmine  after the march. 

• The Twelveth Leg will beSaturday April 19 at 7pm. We will begin at Friends Meeting at 3050 Bon Air, march to Douglass Loop by 7:30 (meeting with those who want a shorter walk) and continue down Bardstown Road to Cherokee Triangle. Rides will be available from Cherokee Triangle back to Friends Meeting.  

• The Thirteenth Leg will be Saturday April 26 at 2:00.  We will begin on the
  east side of "Willow Park" near 1400 Willow and the Cherokee Art Fair.
  We'll march down Bardstown Road and Baxter and west on Broadway to
  Theater Square.  Rides will be available from the end point back to the
  Cherokee Triangle area.  

• The Fourteenth Leg will be 11:00am Saturday, May 3 (Derby Day): we will march along 4th Street from Theatre Square on 4th and Broadway to Central Park for Derby related fun and games including a 12:00 dramatic mock Derby Race between Peace Rules and Empire Maker.  We'll see who wins, wink, wink.  We will then return to Theatre Square along 4th Street, for a total of about 3 miles.  This is the final planned Peace March in Louisville related to the Iraq war.

The final march: A note from organizer Sam Avery: 

The peace marches have accomplished what they set out to do--raise public awareness of the possibility of peace at a time of national self-righteousness.  We have walked 43 miles of the streets of Louisville in 14 separate marches, and have been a presence to all of the public---not only to that portion that has chosen to see us.  A pro-war minority has opposed us, a sizable minority of conscience has supported us, while
an overwhelming majority has done its best to ignore us - and to ignore the war we oppose.  The meaning of our marches lies in our having reached out past the choir: If everyone already agreed with us, or already knew there were alternatives to war, our marches would have been unnecessary. We talked the talk and we walked the walk.

But the war happened anyway - where does that leave us now?  This depends on whether we are simply anti-war, or actively pro-peace.  If we are only anti-war, the advent of the war is our failure.  If, on the other hand, we are in favor of building a permanent structure of peace in the world, our work has just begun, and we must continue it into the future.  We must say what we mean by peace.  We must bear witness to our personal transformations from national to global consciousness.  And we must always remember that the force of history is on our side.  Everyone knows that we hold in our hands the power to destroy ourselves and to destroy all living things. Everyone - even those most in favor of this war - knows that there will come a day when war will  mean ultimate annihilation, and peace will mean the continuation of life.  I hope to be marching on that day, and I hope that you will be there, too.  Sam Avery
It is important to remember that though we have opponents, there are no enemies of the peace movement. The American flag does not stand for any particular president or administration policy, and certainly does not stand for war. You are encouraged to display it along with signs and banners that clearly identify your stance against the war.

TO MARCH:  Bring water and snacks.  Wear suitable cloths and shoes.  Keep in touch with dates, times, and places.

TO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT MARCHING:  Marchers will need transportation back to points of origin as well as other logistical support.  Be there to send off the marchers and to welcome them to the next Place of Peace.  Help our hosts set up.