Interfaith Paths to Peace and 50 other Louisville area groups are sponsoring a four-day event, October 2-5, called Pilgrimage for Peace & Justice. 50 individuals will make a 20-mile “pilgrimage” following the path of the Underground Railroad, ending in New Albany, Indiana.

The event will explore problems in our community, nation and world that serve as barriers and prevent people from fully participating in society. It will honor the memories of well-known civil rights activists Anne Braden and Rosa Parks along with 19th century freed slave and entrepreneur Washington Spalding, Jr.

Highlights of the pilgrimage include:

• Focus on the history of the Underground Railroad in Louisville and Southern Indiana (major stations of the Underground Railroad which took slaves from bondage to freedom).
• Additional focus on issues that prevent today’s citizens from being full participants in society (e.g. war, poverty, homelessness, racism, violence, lack of affordable healthcare, etc.).
• Special honoraria for high school and college-age youth who complete the entire 4-day pilgrimage. Youth who complete the pilgrimage will be awarded a $100 U.S. Savings Bond.
• A special presentation on the Underground Railroad in Louisville and Southern Indiana by Pam Peters, author of The Underground Railroad in Floyd County, Indiana, and by Sally Newkirk, Executive Director of the Carnegie Center in New Albany.

Peep the daily schedule of events after the jump…

Sunday, Sept. 21: Mandatory for pilgrimage participants (not open to the public)—Orientation and introduction to the Underground Railroad in Southern Indiana 1-4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, New Albany.

Thursday, Oct. 2: (Gandhi’s Birthday and International Non-Violence Day) Evening program at the Hindu Temple of Kentucky with ceremony marking the end of the Muslim fast of Ramadan.

Friday, Oct. 3: Presentation at the Quaker Meeting House (a site once associated with slave labor) on the role of Quakers in ending slavery in England and in aiding slaves traveling on the Underground Railroad.

Saturday, Oct. 4: Tour of sites in Louisville ’s downtown, West End and Portland neighborhoods associated with slavery, the Underground Railroad and the Civil Rights Movement.

Saturday, Oct. 4: 5 p.m. Concert and Storytelling program at Christ Church Cathedral, featuring folk singer and Underground Railroad expert Kim Harris. The event will also include a presentation by Pam Peters, author of The Underground Railroad in Floyd County , Indiana . This event is free and open to the public, donations are welcome.

Saturday, Oct. 4: (Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi ) 7:30 p.m. Candlelight march for peace and justice from Christ Church Cathedral across the Second Street Bridge to Jeffersonville , Indiana .

Sunday, Oct. 5: 11 a.m. Concluding potluck and dedication to service at Second Baptist Church in New Albany (a church which offered sanctuary to freed slaves who crossed the Ohio River).