Solidarity’s Long Walk – Geez Magazine

Step. Move foot forward 45 centimetres. Step. Move foot forward 45 centimetres. Step. Repeat for 30 kilometres and call it a day.

The tiny bones in the feet, the tibia and fibula at the shins, the knee joint, femur, and hip joint ache. Muscles and tendons swell. Hot spots inside the shoes lead to small pockets of fluid under the skin. Spend time protecting these with moleskin and duct tape. Back up onto the feet to step. Move foot forward 45 centimetres.

This was the reality of the Pilgrimage for Indigenous Rights, a 600-kilometre walk from Kitchener, Ontario to Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. In the span of 22 days in April and May this year, 50 people, mostly settler Christians joined by some Indigenous friends and strangers, walked all day on the shoulders of minor highways in Ontario. We ate wonderful meals provided by hosting churches, community groups, and one First Nation cultural centre. We held teach-ins for the community almost every evening and slept on mats on church floors.