Buddhist monks are walking 2,300 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C.—a journey they’re calling a “Walk for Peace”—and they’re expected to reach the White House in February.
They’re 64 days in, currently making their way through the Atlanta metro area, and the mainstream media is barely covering it.
WHAT’S GOING ON: A group of monks from the Huong Dao Temple set out on a 120-day pilgrimage to “raise awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world,” according to USA Today.
They’ve been welcomed by supportive crowds at each stop, with people offering food, socks, water, flowers, and prayers as they pass through.
THE DETAILS: Here’s what makes this walk historically significant: the monks’ route through the Deep South follows paths that echo the 1961 Freedom Riders—civil rights activists who rode interstate buses through the segregated South and faced brutal violence for it.
The monks are walking through Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and on to D.C., passing through communities where the fight for justice and human dignity was waged with blood and fire just decades ago.
This isn’t an accident. It’s intentional.
WHY IT MATTERS: In a country where the current administration is promising mass deportations, where authoritarianism is being normalized daily, where hate crimes continue to rise—a group of Buddhist monks walking for peace through the heart of civil rights history is a profound act of witness.
They’re walking through an America that desperately needs the message they’re carrying, heading straight for a White House that will soon be occupied by someone who has explicitly promised cruelty as policy.
ZOOM OUT: This walk typically happens in other countries. The fact that these monks chose America in 2025—chose to walk the Freedom Riders’ route, chose to time their arrival at the White House for February—speaks volumes about what they see when they look at this country right now.
And the near-total media blackout? That tells you something too. A spectacle of violence gets wall-to-wall coverage.
A quiet, persistent witness for peace? Crickets.
BOTTOM LINE: You can track the monks’ progress on their Facebook page and even meet them at their stops along the way. They’ve said they have everything they need for the journey, but they welcome visitors and offerings in person. In a moment when so much feels hopeless, there’s something powerful about the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other—for 2,300 miles—in the name of peace. Pay attention.