Stonewalk: A Global Pilgrimage Honoring Civilian Casualites of War

What is Stonewalk ?

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead, Anthropologist, Author (1901-1978)

Stonewalk is a project of The Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts. Envisioned by peace activist Lewis Randa in 1999, the 33-day, 500-mile inaugural walk of pulling a two-thousand pound granite memorial stone to Washington, DC commenced.

The hope was of seeing it placed permanently in Arlington National Cemetery. Overwhelmed by worldwide images of civilian massacre, Lewis commissioned a one-ton stone inscribed with the words "Unknown Civilians Killed in War." He traveled the eastern seaboard "waging peace" while enlisting community members to join his efforts.

Since then, Stonewalk has turned into a worldwide endeavour, with the Memorial to Unknown Civilians Killed in War, pulled from Dublin, Republic of Ireland to Belfast, Northern Ireland and from Liverpool to Coventry, England, where it was graciously received by the warm and generous people at Coventry Cathedral at the site where the Nazi Blitz took place in November 1940. 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.

WAR IS THE REAL ENEMY

"What is the difference between the massacre of 5,000 innocent civilians killed by a lawless group of virtually unknown origin and the massacre of 5,000 innocent civilians massacred by a legally existing agency known as the military?

As far as the lives of these innocent people are concerned, it does not make any difference at all. However, as far as our government officials are concerned, there is a great difference. In fact, US government officials have referred to the innocent
civilians killed in New York and Washington, DC as "victims" while they view the innocent civilians killed in Afghanistan and Iraq with American weapons merely as "collateral damage!"

In other words, when the killing of the innocent comes from an unauthorized group, then we attribute that to an act of terrorism. On the other hand, when the killing of the innocent comes from an authorized group, such as the military, then we call that an act of duty and patriotism!"

Weapons Industry: Source of Terrorism
Charles Mercieca, Ph.D., President
International Association of Educators for World Peace