Updates
Our goals:
- To honor all victims of armed conflict, especially the victims of the atomic bombings in Nagasaki and Hiroshima during this year’s 60th anniversary.
- To create a non-political model that educates the public about civilian casualties and the true cost of war.
- To serve as an historic milestone bringing people together to remember, lament and seek reconciliation as they make a commitment to peace.
- To seek atonement and forgiveness for the suffering of all victims and family members, not only in Japan but in all countries in Asia and throughout the world.
- To permanently place the Memorial Stone in Hiroshima engraved with the message in both Kanji and English.
STONEWALK JAPAN is the fifth global walk honoring all civilians killed in war. It will begin in Nagasaki July 2nd and finish August 4th in Hiroshima, where the Memorial Stone will be placed permanently in the Hiroshima peace park. Members of the Stonewalk team will be joined by Japanese people in pulling the Memorial Stone 340 miles as we remember, on this 60th anniversary, the thousands of people killed by the atomic bombs in 1945. We are honored that the Hibakusha–survivors of the bombings–will help to prepare for the event, participate in walking with the stone, and join in the opening and closing ceremonies.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! PLEASE CONTACT US AND JOIN US FOR THIS HISTORIC EFFORT– HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Make a financial donation
- If you are in Japan, provide a home stay for Americans and others coming from far away
- Join us in walking or pulling the memorial stone between Nagasaki and Hiroshima, as individuals or groups
- Provide food, water or other supplies for the walkers
Please contact Dot Walsh, The Peace Abbey:
dwalsh@peaceabbey.org, 508-655-2143
Andrea LeBlanc, Peaceful Tomorrows:
aldvm@comcast.net, 603-868-5200
Donations may be sent to:
The Peace Abbey, 2 N. Main Street, Sherborn, Massachusetts 01770
ABOUT THE SPONSORS
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is an organization founded by family members of those killed on September 11th who have united to turn their grief into action for peace. Now numbering 170 family members and thousands of supporters, they have made contact with other civilian victims of terrorism and war throughout the world. By developing and advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice, they hope to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism. Acknowledging their common experience with all people affected by violence throughout the world, they work to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone.
The Life Experience School at Strawberry Fields has been a 501(c)3 not for profit organization since 1972. The school offers a small alternative program for individuals with special life challenges. The philosophy of the program is to create an environment where each person is valued and believes she/he has something to contribute as peacemakers in their works of service to one another and the community. The Peace Abbey was developed under the fiscal sponsorship of the school and was created in 1988 following Mother Teresa’s visit. It traces its roots to the Day of Prayer for World Peace which took place in Assisi, Italy during the United Nations International Year of Peace, October 27, 1986. The Peace Abbey offers innovative models for society that empower individuals on the path to nonviolence, peacemaking and cruelty-free living.
History
Stonewalk is a program of the Peace Abbey and The Life Experience School.
The first STONEWALK pilgrimage in 1999 took 33 days, as the two-thousand-pound granite memorial stone inscribed with the words “Unknown Civilians Killed in War” was pulled 500 miles to Washington, DC. This grassroots movement educated many people with the message that civilians– ordinary people– die when bombs are dropped. The destruction of homeland infrastructure leads to continued losses as a result of inadequate shelter, loss of resources, health issues, and disease. In 2000 the Memorial Stone traveled to Ireland and then on to England in 2001 connecting with the many people in these countries who have suffered as a result of war and violence.
A documentary was produced and aired on public television networks. In addition, it received many film festival awards. In 2004, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows sponsored Stonewalk from Boston to New York.
During the month-long journey while the Memorial Stone was in New York, members of the Japanese PeaceBoat joined Stonewalk from lower Manhattan to Riverside Church. The director of the Japanese PeaceBoat, Yoshioka Tatsuya, was excited about the possibility of bringing the memorial stone to Japan for the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A core group 25 volunteers from the United States will join with many Japanese individuals and groups as we pass through the five prefectures and towns from Hiroshima to Nagasaki. The two-ton memorial stone and caisson will be pulled 340 miles over four weeks.
Visit: www.stonewalk.org
View the brochure for Japan Stonewalk here.
View the statement of apology to the Hibakusha from Peaceful Tomorrows
