In 1978, when 11 bills in Congress threatened to abrogate the U.S. government’s treaties with Indian tribes, hundreds of Indians walked from the West Coast to Washington DC in a peaceful, spiritual effort to educate the public about Native American rights and the Native way of life. The 3,600 mile walk from the West Coast to Washington D.C. was successful in its purpose: to gather enough support to halt proposed legislation abrogating Indian treaties with the U.S. government. In addition, the walk resulted in the passage of the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, allowing Native Americans to practice their traditional religions for the first time since 1492.

That extraordinarily successful grassroots effort now is being commemorated with a 30 year anniversary walk across America.

The Longest Walk 2 is an effort to bring national attention to the harms being perpetrated against Mother Earth, the effects of environmental devastation on Native Americans and all peoples, plants and animals and the need to protect and preserve sacred sites as a means for cultural survival. The walkers began their trans-continental journey on February 11th in San Francisco, and are stopping in communities all across Turtle Island to listen to Native and all people’s concerns, document them and deliver them to U.S. officials upon arrival in Washington D.C. on July 11, 2008. They walk behind the banner, "All Life is Sacred – Save Mother Earth.”

Along the same northern route covered in the 1978 Longest Walk, the 2008 walkers’ mission is "Renewing the Spirit by Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors," while another group walks a southern route in the Clean Up Mother Earth campaign, in which walkers will pick up trash along the way. Together, the two groups will cover a combined total of 8000 miles on foot.

They want to read about YOUR concerns for the environment, emails them to lw2dcorg (at) yahoo.com or bring them to the Cultural Survival Summit on July 8, 9, 10, at Greenbelt Park (6565 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD 20770), where the Northern and Southern Routes have converged, share their experiences and compile a manifesto to urge elected officials to act. Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, and the ambassador to Venezuela will be in attendance.

LONGEST WALK 2 CONTACTS
National Coordinator, Ricardo Tapia, desert2stars (at) yahoo.com
VA Coordinators, Sheila and Curt Hansen, shoooty (at) aol.com
MD Coordinator, Keith Windwalker Wainwright k_windwalker (at) yahoo.com
DC Coordinator, Mark Tayac, tayac1 (at) aol.com

Email your questions and resources to lw2dcorg (at) yahoo.com

SCHEDULE, 2008
June 29 ‘till July 11th at 9 PM
Tee Pees by Washington Monument By 15th Street and Constitution Avenue

Tuesday-Friday July 8, 9, 10
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Cultural Survival Summit in Greenbelt Park (6565 Greenbelt Road Greenbelt, MD 20770)

Friday July 11
3:30 AM Cooks wake Up, prepare food and lunch bags
4:00 AM Wake Up (All)
5:00 AM Route Info and Prayer Circle (30 minutes)
5:30 AM DC Caravan To Rendezvous’ Point
7:00 AM Converge at Malcolm X Park, (aka-Meridian Hill Park, bordered by 16th, Euclid, 15th, and W Streets, NW DC)
7:30 AM Walk to the White House
8:30 AM Arrive at the White House by Lafayette Park (1608 H Street NW)
8:45 AM Pipe Ceremony and speaker
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM Walk to The Capitol Steps (between Const. Ave. NE, Independence Ave. SW, 1st St. NE, 3rd St. SW)
2:30 PM At Capitol Steps, pipe ceremony with Harry Belafonte & Dennis Banks
3:00 PM Present Manifesto to Congressman John Conyers and Congressional Delegation
4:10 PM Walk to Vietnam Memorial (Constitution Ave. between 21st and 23rd Street)
5:00 PM At the Vietnam War Memorial, Joe Spado and other veterans will speak
6:30 PM Finish Walk to Sylvan Theater (by the Wash. Monument, 15th St. and Independence Ave. SW)
7:30 PM Honoring Longest Walk 2 Walkers and Runners; presentation of feathers, staffs and flags; Longest Walk video screening; tribute to Floyd Red Crow Westerman & Vernon Bellecourt
—8:30 PM FINISH

Saturday July 12
9:30 AM Water Ceremony by Reflecting Pools at the Lincoln Memorial
10:30 AM Walk to the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) (3rd-4th Street on the DC Mall)
12 noon POW WOW by the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)
3:00 PM Southern Route Performance
4:00 PM Concert @ same location at 3rd and 4th Street on the D.C. Mall
—8:00 PM FINISH

Sunday July 13
10:00 AM POW WOW by National Museum of the American Indian (3rd-4th St. on the DC Mall)
1:00 PM Northern Route Performance
2:00 PM Concert @ same location at 3rd and 4th Street on the Mall
—6:00 PM FINISH


CLOSING WORDS:
The Longest Walk did not end
The Longest Walk2 does not end
The Direct Call for Action and the Responsibility for the Future Generations Still Remains

ALL LIFE IS SACRED!!
EVERY STEP WE TAKE IS A PRAYER!!
THESE ARE BUT THE FIRST STEPS!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mitaku Yasse
We are all related (in Lakota)