how i ended up on the world peace march from San Francisco to NYC for the UN second special session for disarmament

Oct. 1981 Berkley Ca.

	Tyrone Daily Herald, Monday, June 7,1982 Page Three
Marchers left from San Francisco and Los Angeles on Oct. 24, 1981 bound for New York, and from New Orleans and San Diego on Jan. l, 1982. Other walks began at Bangor, Maine, on April 1 and at Montreal on Aprils 3.
NEW YORK ( UPI)
Saffron-robed Buddhist monks on the last leg of a 13,000-mile walk for peace led four groups of international protesters toward the United Nations for today's special session on nuclear disarmament.
At a welcoming rally for the hundreds of participants in the World Peace March at the United Nations, Mrs. Coretta Scott King,

when i was sleeping in the bushes in Berkley, it was my practice to save my blood money for the three days i could sell, while i pan handled change for coffee and tobacco. lunch at the mission, then   sit in the coffee house and nurse a 50 cent coffee the afternoon through. then in the evening, across the street to the book store at Durant and Telegraph Ave. , where after they closed nightly, poets gathered to read on the sidewalk in front.  a great corner with a no mic, open stage. 

the blood money was for the BART so i could get to San Francisco for poetry at the tattoo rose,  city lights books, and  Vesuvio Cafe .  i would sit all night in the white castle after the poetry reading. the coffee was 10 or 15 cent, can't remember, but they let you refill and they let you stay.

in the morning i would sleep in Washington Sq. Park, head on my bedroll and pack.

one afternoon a poster caught my attention for a poetry reading at the cloud house bookstore, in Height Ashbury, i had never been up there so i headed up the mountain. the feature,  "the Death of Edgar Allen Poe. " was a long poem about the hauntings in his mind, while he lain dying in a Baltimore gutter.

then at open mic,  Brad Ziess read from his hand drawn, self printed book, The Long Walk for Survival - DAMAGE STATUS - A journey thru the national sacrifice Area USA 80'   .

it was about  the Long Walk for Survival 1980,¹

When Several hundred  first nations  activists  marched from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.

 with elders who carried the pipe, 

from west to east,

reclaiming the rights of the people to the land.

i was struck with amazement over Brad's story about walking across the country. after his reading  i pressed him to tell me more . he flatly said, "if you want to walk across the country,  stick with me .

i am  leaving in the morning on a march to NYC. "

i did not let Brad out of my sight for the next 24. hrs.

i always carried my bed roll and 'world famous' , canvas bag, of journals, brushes, inks, a cup, a bowl, and  washing kit with me , because there was no place for me to leave anything, being,  'on the road ' in such a hobo fashion. 

as it turned out Brad was staying 'on the floor' at the book store.

i rolled my blanket out just a few feet from him,

 and rested sleepless,  fearing  i'd lose sight of Brad .

he told me the march will begin with a sunrise ceremony on Alcatraz

knowing nothing about the organizer of the world peace march, and not knowing my way around San Francisco,   i was dependent on sticking with Brad. he said the march will begin with a sunrise ceremony on Alcatraz.  the pipe and drum and medicines were there, and the elders would send us with great grace and power so to complete our trip.

huddled on the ferry dock, in the dark were hundreds of Japanese,  many of them wearing saffron robes, and white puffy hats that came down around covering the side and back of their  head. 

 at no cost that i remember,  the ferry was loaded repeatedly and brought people to Alcatraz.

i had never been to a sunrise ceremony.  i had never been to a pipe ceremony  .  i was overwhelmed with mystery, and my passion for justice was lit aflame.   i learned from the speakers, that morning , the world peace march was a march called for by the Rev Nichidatsu Fujii , to send marches to the United Nations, in support of the UN 2nd special session for disarmament.  the Nichiren buddhist lead marchers from all around the world, from city to city,

to raise awareness of nuclear weapons and war, and to let the UN delegates see that people wanted disarmament.  

AIM and Nichidatsu Fujii established a relationship in 1978 when Nichiren Buddhist joined them on "the Longest Walk"² . so AIM was host and guardian for the Japanese Buddhist, on their march to the united nations.

after the ceremony the Japanese Buddhist began drumming and chanting  ,

Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō

when everyone was off the ferry, back in San Francisco, the Nichiren Buddhist began walking and chanting and drumming, and up the mountain they marched, all the way to golden gate park . hundreds of Japanese citizens, and San Francisco residents followed them. at the park  it was  chaos. i really do not know what the Japanese ceremony, and speeches were about. i was struggling to keep tabs on Brad. i had no idea where the march would begin from or who, in this crowd is marching. there was a public feast. Japanese people were walking around giving gifts to everyone  at Golden Gate Park. as the sun crept toward the horizon. the food was packed up, put away, the park was  cleaned by citizens . 

the Nichiren Buddhist  began chanting and drumming. they were gathered at one of the park gates.  i  had lost sight of Brad, but the marchers started leaving the park. at the front the marchers carried a large banner.                                                                                                                       

It said:               San Francisco to New York    World Peace Walk

following the Nichiren Buddhist  were many of the Japanese citizens who had drums and chanted also.  there were maybe a hundred people, we marched about an hour, to the AIM for Freedom / Survival house   in Oakland . it was just at sunset we arrived and went inside. it was an  AIM feast .  after eating, Clyde Bellecourt, and Bill Wahpepah spoke to us about the task ahead of us,    

most of the people left the building after the program. then i went with Brad to the basement where a few people were beaded down on the floor.

in the morning we received a hot breakfast from our host

next.

how the nichi ren buddhist and native american movement became partners  .

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http://collections.museumca.org/?q=collection-item/20105416394

http://www.collection-politicalgraphics.org/detail.php?module=objects&type=browse&id=1&term=Native+Americans&kv=6491&record=20&page=1

 2) https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_541102

Their feet beat rhythm

for end to nuclear arms

By STEPHANIE HILF

C-T Staff Writer

OBERLIN — Beating on wooden drums and chanting a Buddhist mantra, one section of The World Peace March entered Oberlin on foot from the west late Thursday afternoon.

The World Peace March, initiated by the Buddhist monks and nuns of the Nipponzan Myohoji Order, has five groups making their way across the country on different routes to gain support for world-wide nuclear disarmament.

The group which walked to Oberlin from Norwalk Thursday consists of about 25 people including two Buddhist monks from Japan, two Buddhist nuns, ( one from Sweden, one from the U.S. ), one Hopi Indian, one Sioux Indian, and three Japanese citizens. There are also people from France, Costa Rica and Germany, as well as several Americans on the walk.

THE GROUP began its journey on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay on October 24. They plan to be in New York City by the second week in June, in time for the United Nations Second Special Session on Disarmament.

A massive rally is being planned for June 12 at the United Nations building in New York City and many international religious events to take place that week are being coordinated by the Religious Task Force of the Mobilization for Survival.

Inspiration for the World Peace March came from the 97- year old Buddhist teacher, the Most Venerable Nitiudatsu Fujii, and from the memory of the nuclear war victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

THE MARCHERS say they have been well-received during their journey and that people are increasingly receptive to the notion of nuclear disarmament.

"Many people recognize how dangerous nuclear weapons are and that's a good sign for stopping nuclear war," said the Reverend Imai, a Buddhist monk from Japan. Takeo, a Japanese citizen on the walk, served as translator for the monk.

"We've been encouraged by the timeliness of the issue," said Ellen Wilson, 30, from Spokane, Wa. "It's not that everyone agrees with what we say, but the general response is changing in our favor."

TWENTY-SEVEN-YEAROLD Leo Goodman from Boston said that most disagreement takes the form of: "Why don't you tell it to the Russians? "

“We're telling it to the whole world," said Goodman.

"The Russian people are human beings, too," said the Rev. Imai. "We should believe the Russian people are of a peaceful mind or we will never have peace in the world."

"The road to peace has to be one of trust and openness of the human heart and we have to start within ourselves and within our own country," said Wilson.

Along the route, the marchers stay in churches, schools, colleges and private homes. They spent Thursday night at Christ Episcopal Church in Oberlin and plan to walk to North Olmsted on Friday where they will stay at the North Olmsted Congregational Church.

ON SATURDAY they will" walk to Public Square in Cleveland and take part in the Ground Zero Teach-In being held at Case Western Reserve University.

Locally, the Senior Citizen Association of Lorain County has chartered a bus to go to New York City for the June 12th U.N. rally.

Reservations for the bus trip, which is open to anyone, not just senior citizens, are being taken at the senior citizens office in Elyria. The bus will leave Elyria on the afternoon for June 11 and return June 13, and the cost of the trip is $50.

In Our Hands

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