Why are we walking?
Barbara Deming participated in peace walks as a way of speaking nonviolently for what was right, as well as an act that aided her in becoming whole. We are walking to honor Barbara's memory, and lead a simple life, where connections to each other and the land are essential. Our walking removes us from our daily lives and places us into a scared space where we are free to speak, cooperation is vital, and allows us to change.

Vision Statement
Our vision for the Barbara Deming Memorial Peace Walk is to promote peace and justice through nonviolence. The Walk aims increase public awareness and promote networking of local women's, lesbian and gay, civil rights, and environmental organizations. Each participant in the Walk will be part of a collaborative art project that allows people to explore creativity and connections to artistic practice. We desire to connect ourselves to our bodies, to each other, and to the land.

Women have played an important role throughout our history in opposing violence and oppression. We have been the operators of the Underground Railroad, the spirit of the equal rights movement and the strength of the peace movement. In 1590, the women of the Iroquois Nation met in Seneca, NY to demand an end to war among tribes. In 1848 the first Women's Rights Convention met at Seneca Falls giving shape and voice to the 19th century feminist movement.

We value a world where people, animals, plants and the earth itself are respected and valued. We honor peace, not war.

Goals
1. That every citizen move from words to nonviolent actions in resisting any action which infringes on personal freedoms and expression by the government.

2. To bring women and men to an individual commitment to peace and responsibility in their personal relationships, their community, and the world.

3. To educate people about Barbara Deming and to induct her into the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca.

4. To have the Women's National Historic Park allow us to plant a memorial garden for Barbara. FULFILLED!!! We are planting a tree in honor of Barbara at the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House in Seneca Falls. Thank you to the Park!

5. To use performance art and storytelling to honor our history of successful nonviolent actions, and specifically remember Barbara Deming.

6. That friends of Barbara Deming come together to celebrate her life and renew their commitment to peace and justice, through performance, reading and other rituals.

Route
We are walking from Seneca Falls, NY to Albany, NY along the Mohawk River, primarily via Rt. 5. Once we arrive in Albany we will travel south down the Hudson River, crossing bridges to stay in towns. We leave a 10 a.m. every morning.

Leave		Date		Address
Romulus		July 19	Women's PeaceLand, Rt. 96A, Romulus
Seneca Falls	July 20	Women's Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls
Auburn		July 21	Seymour Library, Genesse St., Auburn
Elbridge	July 22	Elbridge Free Library, E. Main St., Elbridge
Solvay		July 23	Solvay Public Library, 615 Woods Rd., Solvay
Syracuse	July 24	Onondago Free Library, 4840 W. Seneca Tpk., Syracuse
Syracuse	July 25	Fairmont Community Library, 406 Chapel Dr., Syracuse
Canastota	July 26	Canastota Public Library, 102 W. Center St., Canastota
Vernon		July 27	Vernon Public Library, 5 Peterboro St., Vernon
Utica		July 28	Utica Public Library, 303 Genesee St., Utica
Ilion		July 29	Ilion Free Public Library, 78 West St., Ilion
Little Falls	July 30	Little Falls Public Library, 10 Waverly Place, Little Falls
St. Johnsville	July 31	Margaret Reaney Memorial Library, 19 Kingsbury Ave., St.  Johnsville
Canajoharie	Aug. 1	Canajoharie Libaray, 2 Erie Blvd., Canajoharie
Fonda		Aug. 2	Frothingham Free Library, Main St., Fonda
Amsterdam	Aug. 3	Frothingham Free Library, 28 Church St., Amsterdam
Wyatts		Aug. 4
Schenectady	Aug. 5	Mohawk Valley Library Assoc., 858 Duanesburg Rd., Schnectady
Albany		Aug. 6	Women's Building Library, 79 Central Ave., Albany
Albany		Aug. 7	Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave., Albany
Castleton	Aug. 8	
Stuyvesant 	Aug. 9
Hudson		Aug. 10	Hudson Area Assoc. Library, 400 State St., Hudson
Catskill	Aug. 11	Catskill Public Library, 1 Franklin St., Catskill
Saugerties	Aug. 12	Saugerties Public Library, Washington Ave., Saugerties
Kingston	Aug. 13	Kingston Area Library, 55 Franklin St., Kingston
New Paltz	Aug. 14	Elting Memorial Library, 93 Main St., New Paltz
Poughkeepsie	Aug. 15	Greater Poughkeepsie Library, 93 Market St., Poughkeepsie
Fishkill	Aug. 16	Blodgett Memorial Library, 37 Broad St., Fishkill
New Windsor	Aug. 17
Highland Falls 	Aug. 18	Highland Falls Library, 179 Main St., Highland Falls
Peekskill	Aug. 19	Fields Library of Peekskill, 4 Nelson Ave., Peekskill
Ossining	Aug. 20	Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Ave., Ossining
Hastings	Aug. 21	Hastings Public Library, 7 Maple Ave., Hastings
Washington Heights Aug. 22	
New York City	Aug. 23	Mercantile Library Assoc., 17 E. 47th St., NYC
New York City	Aug. 24	NY Public Library, 5th Ave and 42nd, NYC
New York City	Aug. 25	Women's Action Alliance Library, 370 Lexington Ave., NYC
New York City	Aug. 26	Women's Building, NYC

The land and physical requirements
Most days we will walk approximately 10 miles for the entire walk, approximately 300 miles. There are extra days built into the schedule in Syracuse, Albany, and New York City. We will steal days from these locations should we be delayed for any reason. Daily updates as to our location will be available via phone answering message at 518-273-4287 or our web site will also be updated daily http://www.rpi.edu/~mccabd

We will walk from July 19th through until August 26th; 39 days. July 19th is Convention Days in Seneca Falls, the anniversary of 1848 Declaration of Sentiments; August 26th is the anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. At the peace action that occurred during 1983 at Women's Encampment in Romulus, Barbara was arrested for the last time prior to her death in 1984. We are walking from her last activist site to her birthplace and the site of her first arrest at the AEC Building in New York City. Each day we will remember Barbara and other leaders who have helped to change our world.

The terrain is mostly flat, though there will be some hills in the Finger Lakes region at the beginning of the Walk. We will be walking on paved streets the entire route and will be handicap accessible. Sticking to the route and the 10 miles a day will be necessary if people are to join us along the way. You are requested to walk together with the group, and not stray from our planned route. There will be plenty of time after walking for storytelling, networking, eating and drinking, and artistic expression. We expect to walk from 10 a.m. until about 2 p.m. every day.

Logistics
Respect for the land
One of the goals of this walk is to connect with our physical body and with the land. As we will be traveling along the roadways it will be easy to dispose of any trash at public facilities. Do not litter the land, in fact, you may want to help clean up the refuse on the streets as a peaceful ritual.

Responsibilities
We will help each other learn and remember through our stories and our listening. This means that we will not interrupt when someone is sharing and we will listen as intently as we speak. All voices will be honored and we will strive to create a special space where it will be safe to share thoughts, feelings, concerns, questions, fears, and joys.

"Think first about the action that is right to take, think later about coping with one's fears." Barbara Deming emphatically strove for a world where people would move from words to actions, where knowing the right thing to do was not enough, but action was required to change people. We strive for a life where we can change the world by changing the people in it, even it one by one.

All individuals walking in the Walk collectively will make decisions as to actions taken. The personal is political, our actions and our lives are all interconnected. When there are decisions to be made, they will be made by consensus of the entire group. No one person will have a more powerful voice than any other. If the group does not hold a unanimous decision, discussions will take place to decide actions.

Health and First Aid
Self-sufficiency is the key here. If you are on medication, make sure you have enough. Everyone should take basic first aid precautions in planning for the Walk. Band-aids, alcohol pads, ace bandages, aspirin, etc. should be a part of your pack. Do not rely on other walkers for these important items. There will be a cellular phone available for the entire walk which will allow for ambulance contact should you require it.

What to Bring
Comfortable clothing including extra activist shirts. Drinking water container - it will be hot! Extra shoes and socks. Small instruments for performances, stories, paper and pen, a camera. Sunblock. Insect repellent. Minimal sleeping gear.

What to wear
Clothing that breathes. We are walking during mid-day in hot weather, do not plan for fashion, but for comfort. Make a T-shirt that promotes your favorite nonviolent activist group; or one that honors a woman who history has ignored. Let your shirt be an artist creation of yourself.

Sneakers or walking shoes that will last the duration of the walk. Three hundred miles on pavement is difficult on even the best shoes, so plan ahead. Additional shoe inserts may be helpful for insuring your shoes are not wet or sweaty continually.

A hat and sunglasses will help you withstand the heat and make the walk as enjoyable as we all hope. An umbrella will help both with rain and bright sun.

What not to bring
Do NOT bring weapons of any kind. This includes mace and pepper spray. We are a group of nonviolent activists who will not resort to violence under any conditions. We are walking along major roadways during the middle of the day as a group.

Do NOT bring signs. We will all be wearing shirts that promote our own individual causes. Make a shirt and walk with us. Our walking will speak louder than any sign ever would.

Do NOT bring anything that will inhibit your walking. Three hundred miles is a long way. Don't take anything that you will not be able to carry with you by yourself.

Do NOT take a lot of cash. There will be bank machines along the way for any purchases. We do not want to become targets.

Accommodations
How many of us are there? I plan to contact churches along the route to accommodate all walkers. If you know someone local, or can put up some walkers in your home, please contact Donna McCabe. This way we can network with local women's groups and a peace activists via the church.

Pot luck dinners should not be counted on, but would be nice if we can network with enough locals. Plan on purchasing food from local organizations or roadside stands. We will collectively prepare dinners and eat together after a days walk. Breakfasts and lunches will be each walkers own responsibility.

Rituals
Registration
Every walker will be asked to 'register' with the Walk by signing the guest book. Signing this register will mean that you have received and understood this Resource Handbook and that you would like to participate in the Barbara Deming Memorial Peace Walk. And, if you would like, you will be notified of future events relating to the Walk if you officially 'register'.

This guest book will consist of the sneaker or shoe prints of every walker, signed and dated as to when they entered the walk and where. A collection of these footprints will be made public at the installations. The act of foot printing should be compared the incarceration ritual of fingerprinting. We will take this act of power and domination and turn it into a symbolic act of solidarity. Walkers will also be asked to sign a petition for the induction of Barbara Deming into the Hall of Fame and that next year the National Park allow us to plant a Memorial Garden in Seneca.

Donating Books
The donation of the Deming books will be used as an act of empowering people in the local communities to become informed of a past that is slowly slipping away. All Walk participants will be asked to donate their favorite book on nonviolence, feminism, and lesbian/gay or civil rights in the name of the Barbara Deming Memorial Peace Walk during the event. Flowers will be planted on the library property with a Barbara Deming Memorial Walk plaque expoxied to the building above the seeds or to the cement ground near the planting area.

Readings
At the beginning and ending of every walk we will remember Barbara through a reading of her writing. If you choose, poetry or prose, your words will be an important contribution to the Walk. You are invited to publicly read either you own work, or the writings of another nonviolent activist that you respect.

Stretching
Ritualized morning stretching will also be a time for collaborative involvement and physical connection to ones own body. Anyone who is experienced in any type of movement or massage techniques may lead the group. Please let us know if you are interested.

Planting
Every mile, after planting seeds, a medallion will be left indicating "Barbara Deming Memorial Peace Walk," signed, dated and numbered by the artist as 'art'-i-facts of the walk. These are being worked on now, using 1" diameter roofing disks, with engraving on them.

Art practice
As you walk, and think, and discover along the route, collect small items from the road that are important or interesting to you in some way. These items will be placed together with the items from every walker to create a piece of art that we will hang in the New York City Women's Building at the end of the walk. Every day we will complete one work together, we will have a total of 39 pieces. Each walker is asked to contribute one item to the piece every day that they walk. What that item is is entirely personal and up to each person; just make sure it is small so that there will be enough space for everyone to share space in one frame. We will share stories during this nightly ritual after dinner.

The Media
Strategies
If you have never participated in an event such as this, you may be surprised by the treatment you receive from members of the media. With a project of this type, the Walk may receive some attention from newspapers and television.

The first thing to know is that you are walking on a peace walk to celebrate our histories of nonviolent resistance. You may be walking for AIDS activism, or environmental activism, and should use the media as a means of giving voice to your cause. Remember, you become an authority and a spokesperson for not only your cause, but also this Walk. Think about what you are going to say before you say it, then speak as clearly and precisely as you can.

If you are uncomfortable speaking, we encourage you to talk with us about how to handle the press. The Walk organizer, Donna McCabe, will be available at all times during the walk for support and reference.

Do NOT say anything to the press that is incriminating or flip even if you think their camera's are not on.

Remember, we are not a march, which implies to the press certain negative connotations, we are a walk, and we are celebrating our histories, and calling to others to use nonviolence as the only solution to conflict. When in doubt, refer to the goals section of this handbook or to Barbara's words.

Do not attempt to engage in conversation with the press about a subject that you are not familiar with.

Confronting Authority
Do NOT panic. Our attitude will be one of openness and respect toward anyone we encounter, including police or other authorities. We will not engage in physical or verbal violence toward anyone we encounter. We will carry no weapons.

"Make it impossible for the authority to operate within the system as usual...making it impossible for him simply to strike back without thought and with all his strength."

Installations
1. Opening celebration - with no installation, but planting of a garden at the Women's Encampment in Romulus. Ann at the Encampment will be telling the history of resistance at the Army Depot there and sharing memories of her life at the Encampment.

2. This celebration will continue through to Seneca Falls during Convention Days where we hope to have New Victoria Press selling copies of Barbara's newly published book of poems, I Change, I Change

3. Albany - the Women's Building on Central Ave will have a gala event and will allow us to hang the artworks in progress at their building. They will also plant a garden with us when we arrive somewhere near the building. They promise to have a special event and take care of the walkers when we arrive.

4. New York City - The Women's Building in NYC is getting a new building in June of 1996. They are really interested in having us do the final installation at their new building and are working to make it happen. I am working on getting the past grantee's from the Barbara Deming Fund for Women to come to the event and do readings from their writings that were sponsored by Barbara.