Last Saturday, our 8+ mile training walk along the Murfreesboro Greenway was so rainy that I had to pour water out of my boots when I got back to the car. I told myself it was good strength training with all that extra water weight I was carrying around. The Ruco Action Council and Rutherford County Democratic Party did a lovely breakfast spread for us all and pitched pop-up tents for us to stay dry. Huge thanks to our supporters in Rutherford County for making this possible and for giving space to hear about the walk and from candidates running for office like Matt Ferry, Laura Bohling, and Bill Levine.
Despite the wetness, we had a great time walking because the Murfreesboro crew is so fun. Check out Holly on TikTok.
Then I went to Memphis and we held our statewide endorsement committee made up of our most committed supporters and representatives from the Chattanooga Health Advocacy Team, East Nashtivists, Memphis Action Council, Ruth’s Army, Vanderbilt Generation Action, Doctors for Repro, and Action Council advocates in Knoxville. Their recommendations are on their way to our TAPP Board for final approval and I’ll share those endorsed candidates with you before the end of the month just in time for our October Month Of Action.
After that incredible endorsement committee meeting, my Yorkiepoo, Bodhisattva and I drove the Walk for our Lives route from Memphis to Nashville. I'm getting a good sense of how pedestrian-friendly these country roads are. The West Tennessee terrain seemed really peaceful. We passed lots of small restaurants, quaint town squares and places we can park our support vehicle.
Some folks are asking how they’ll know where I am, so they can join me on the walk or volunteer. Please be sure to sign up HERE because you can indicate what grand division of the state you want to participate. We'll send you an email with the exact location and other details of our walks each day.
Walk for Our Lives Events and Timeline (subject to changes):
- I’ll walk in West Tennessee, from Shelby to Decatur County, starting on September 26-October 7. You’ll probably want to join us as we Step Off in Memphis. Ashley Coffield, PPTNM President & CEO; Cherisse Scott, SisterReach CEO & Founder; Pastor Elise Saulsberry, Agape Affirming Ministries and others will offer their words of support as I embark on this journey.
- I’ll walk through Middle Tennessee, from Perry to Putnam County, on October 7-25. Our volunteers are planning lots of events, such as breakfast on their front porch, a walking meditation along the greenway, a Filipino dinner, and other incredible events as I pass through. We’ll get you those event-specific sign-ups shortly. Till then, save the dates for Oct 16 and 17.
- My final leg will be in East Tennessee from Cumberland to Washington County, on October 25-November 14. Our supporters are planning some amazing events, including [I’m squealing]…a surprise! Plus, I’ll be in Knoxville the weekend before the election, so I’m looking forward to campaigning with folks while I’m there. Let’s protect our champions, like Rep. Gloria Johnson, and elect more pro-sex/reproductive health candidates across the state!
I hope I’ll see you along the route and connect with you. We will be able to make real changes when we realize our own connectedness and that we already have the power. We only need to harness it.
As Glinda the Good Witch said to Dorothy, “you’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas”. And we wouldn’t mind being a bit more like Kansas about now, right?
One step at a time,
Francie