Twin Cities Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage

On Saturday, March 23rd, come walk, pray, and sing with us as we journey along the Mississippi.

View the full event page here: https://www.peacecatalyst.org/gcpilgrimage
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Want to walk with us? Register here: https://forms.gle/N6jM4GJa281DRuFr5

Want to volunteer? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/pTfbHhAxFSLKGkhj7

Does your church or organization want to sponsor? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/DREX9aSC5N3y75SJ9

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The Pilgrimage Route:

Map of route from Brooklyn Park River Park to Savage Nature Center near Bdote: https://maps.app.goo.gl/VgbagWAdHUBR3z627

The Twin Cities Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage will begin at sunrise at Brooklyn Park River Park and head south along the Mississippi River. Our prayerful, nonviolent walk will follow paved, accessible paths along River Road, making stops at Kroening Nature Center, Boom Island Park, Minnehaha Falls, and churches along the route. At times the route will cross over the Mississippi, staying near the river as a reminder of the Gazan coast.

The pilgrimage will end near Bdote, the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. This site is not only sacred to the Dakota people as the location of the Dakota creation story; it is also a site of historic trauma, where many Dakota were interned and died in a concentration camp following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The sacred Indigenous sites along the route are a reminder that our pilgrimage takes place against a backdrop of violent settler colonialism perpetrated by European Americans in the United States. As we journey in solidarity with Gaza, we also recommit ourselves to the work of healing justice with the Indigenous people of Mni Sota Makoce.

The full Twin Cities pilgrimage route approximates the mere 22 miles from Gaza City in the north of Gaza, to Rafah in the south. Hundreds of thousands of Gazan civilians were forced to navigate this distance last fall, fleeing violence and following Israel’s false promise of safety from bombardment and combat. Our pilgrimage will take the full day until sunset to allow time for breaks, prayer and song, meals, and the inclusion of people of all abilities and ages.

This route brings home the geography of the horror taking place in Gaza, where only the distance between Brooklyn Park and Fort Snelling encompasses the entire geographic area of Gaza. In a single day, our pilgrimage and our bodies will map the reality that no place within Gaza is safe for the 2 million displaced civilians surviving without shelter from aggression and deprivation for the past 140+ days.

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Schedule (subject to change):

– 6am — Gather
– 6:30am-7am — Sunrise Service at Brooklyn Park River Park
– 7am-9am — Brooklyn Park River Park to Carl W. Kroening Nature Center (4.7 miles)
– 9:30am-11:30am — Kroening Nature Center to Boom Island Park (4.2 miles)
– 11:45am-1:30pm — Boom Island Park to Faith Mennonite Church (4 miles)
– 1:30pm-2:30pm — Singing and Lunch for Pilgrims at Faith Mennonite Church
– 2:30pm-3:30pm — Faith Mennonite Church to 176 N Mississippi River Blvd, St. Paul (2.1 miles)
– 3:30pm-3:45pm — Activity at 176 N Mississippi River Blvd
– 3:45pm-5:15pm — 176 N Mississippi River Blvd to Minnehaha Falls (3.3 miles)
– 5:45pm-7pm — Minnehaha Falls to Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center, Ft. Snelling (2.7 miles)
– 7pm-8pm — Closing Ceremony and Food — Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center, Ft. Snelling

Join us for the whole journey, a section of the journey, or at stops along the way!

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What do we want:

1. Enduring and Sustained Ceasefire.
2. Immediate flow of life saving food, water, aid, fuel and humanitarian assistance.
3. Release of all hostages – both the Israeli hostages held by Hamas – and the Palestinian hostages held in the Israeli prison system.
4. End of occupation so a just-peace can begin.

For more information on the global movement, visit https://www.gazaceasefirepilgrimage.com/