Saturday, December 16, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM EDT
AN INVITATION TO JOIN THE 25 MILE MARCH - Northampton to Springfield, MA
co-sponsored by JVP Western Mass
Please join us this Sunday for the 25 Mile March for Palestine.
This is an invitation for us to come together, those of us whose hearts are breaking for Palestine, and for the world we believe is possible, a world that holds space for our shared humanity and freedom. This is a labor of grief, hope, and so much love.
Please consider joining us at a single stop, a 1 or 5 mile section, or the whole 25, or tuning in virtually via Instagram. We greatly need non-walkers to drive support cars and to shuttle people back to their cars at the end of the march! We also recognize the powerful action steps that virtual participants can choose to take from home!
Please register for the march in advance, so that we can keep everyone as safe as possible!
We will march 25 miles - the length of Gaza - from Northampton to Springfield. In between we will pause in Easthampton, rally in Holyoke, light candles in West Springfield, and hold a vigil at Senators Warren and Markey's Springfield offices. As we grieve, we will also name in a clear, unified voice our call for a permanent ceasefire, an end to the siege of Gaza, an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people, and an end to critical U.S. military support to Israel.
We are a broad coalition from Western Massachusetts, walking in solidarity with Palestinian people who have been forced from their homes, starved, bombed, and killed by the Israeli military, with the support of its biggest funder, the United States.
There is no military solution to this. Israeli occupation and apartheid makes Israelis and Palestinians unsafe and fuels the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia around the world. This is a time for diplomacy and political solutions. A time to call for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people.
On Sunday, we walk together to mourn the dead and fight for the living.
SCHEDULE
Northampton → Easthampton. 6 – 8 AM
Easthampton → Holyoke Rt.5. 8:20 – 10:20 AM
Rt.5 → Downtown Holyoke. 10:40 AM – 12:30 PM
RALLY (with speakers and food)
Downtown Holyoke at Veterans' Memorial Park 12:30 PM
Holyoke → West Springfield Rt. 5. 1:15 – 2:30 PM
West Springfield Rt. 5 → West Springfield Town Common. 2:45 – 4:40 PM.
FINAL STRETCH & CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
Mile 23 - 25. West Springfield Town Common → Springfield. 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM.
Please join us outside Senators Warren and Markey's office at 5:45 for a short closing vigil, 1550 Main St, Springfield.
Route Times and Stops (Public) - Google Docs
Register here and learn more here. NOTE: More specifics about route, parking, and how to get live updates will be shared with registered participants.
ACCESSIBILITY - This is an opportunity for us to practice community care with one another as we build and amplify our collective power in this movement.