Originally we were going to walk roughly 20 miles from Oak Ridge to Knoxville, but thankfully because of my guardian angel, Button, we were able to shave off mileage this day by walking an extra mile each day prior. So we only had to walk 15.6 miles. That may not sound like we reduced the number of miles much, but my bones and feet were saying otherwise.
We were joined that morning by Jaclyn Levy who has organized Preach Your Abortion the past couple years for people of faith to share their stories from the pulpit of an affirming church. That event is a powerful way to help combat abortion stigma from the faith perspective. We were also joined by Bryan Langan who ran against incumbent Republican Senator Richard Briggs in TN Senate District 7. Bryan was inspiring as a young father who is passionate about food and water quality issues running for office for the first time. Kent Minault from the Sierra Club joined us, along with none other but the esteemed Rep. Gloria Johnson.
In the following year in 2023, Rep. Gloria Johnson would announce her candidacy for U.S. Senate against Marsha Blackburn.
When we arrived in Knoxville, I was tired but energized. As soon as we arrived at the Sunsphere, where we were to meet TAPP Board Chair Patrick Grzanka and Cathy Henschen, a former TAPP Board Chair, I joined a call moderated by Julie Edwards with other Planned Parenthood staff and singer-songwriter Kesha, who was distraught over the fall of Roe. Kesha grew up around Nashville and it was surreal to be sitting on a park bench outside the Knoxville Convention Center rubbing my feet and giving her a sense of what we anticipate it will be like in Tennessee as thousands are forced to give birth.
Once our friends arrived, we made our way to Preservation Pub off Market Square to meet more supporters. We huddled our chairs together on the rooftop patio, and I shared stories from our journey across the state. Button and I would stay at Cathy’s house and then several days at Patrick’s house as we made our way further east. It would take us another week walking from Knoxville to our final destination in Johnson City. Thank goodness the next day was a rest day.
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