It took us a little over 5 hours to walk 13 miles from Strawberry Plains to Jefferson City, which includes several breaks along the way. At this point, I felt like I was walking in a dream state, not quite accepting that we were little over a week away from accomplishing our pilgrimage. Adding to the dream state quality of our existence from being in constant motion, were the autumn skies and old dilapidated, but beautiful homes we would pass on the country roads. Stephen King needs to come to this area of Tennessee to write his next book.
Walking through New Market was most memorable because it was a sleepy, quiet community. It was like walking through a ghost town. I passed one home that I had assumed was abandoned. The doors and windows were open and the inside was completely dark. The only sign of life was that there were old-fashioned-looking clothes hanging on a line to dry. There was a young boy in the back yard near the clothesline talking to himself.
I walked past the house, but I had the eerie feeling that I was being watched. Being the Scorpio that I am, I whipped around in a rapid about-face to catch my observer. Sure enough, there was a little blond girl in an old fashioned-looking dress peeking her head out of the darkened door to see what I was about. She could easily have been cast as one of the twins in The Shining. As soon as she saw me notice her, she scurried back into the house.
The only activity we encountered was at Houston’s Mineral Water. Dozens of neighbors came to fill their containers with water drawn from this well. We spoke with one of the guys at Houston’s and told him why we were walking through. He told us that he and his wife fully support reproductive rights and that in communities such as this, religious ideologues have interfered with democratic principles.
We ended the day in Dandridge, Tennessee at Laura Mallette’s home. She introduced us to active Democrats in Jefferson and Sevier County, and we had pizza on her porch overlooking Douglas Lake.
Laura Mallette is a gentle powerhouse. She hosted us on the fly, held a small gathering for us, distributed yard signs for the upcoming election, walked with us and set up introductory meetings for us.
As we walked 13.3 miles from Jefferson City to Morristown, Laura M. called her friend Becky Burks whose home was along the route. We did an impromptu visit and heard Becky share important lessons about being a loving example of compassion with those who may not share the same values. She shared her experience with being one of the few progressives in the area who has built community with those across the political aisle.
I appreciated the opportunity to walk with Todd Frommeyer from Hamblen Co Dems, because the only time I had ever heard of Morristown was when there was an ICE raid that made international headlines. Even though Morristown is a small town, it has a bustling historical downtown with a lot of local businesses.
Todd explained that he is very concerned about how Tennessee’s abortion ban will impact care and increase the criminalization of physicians. The law is vague and puts doctors in a harmful position to choose between offering patient care while risking jail time or playing it legally safe, ultimately endangering a patient. The ban was written with an “affirmative defense” clause, which means that a provider is guilty under every circumstance in which they terminate a pregnancy, even if it means to protect the life of the mother.
That evening Laura M. and Todd took us to meet with other Democrats in the area to have this conversation. We met a small group of folks who were energized to fight back and build a strong organization that can eventually win races.
We may or may not have left Walk for Our Lives materials at their door.
The next day was Election Day, and we stayed at Mendin’ Fences Farm with Linda Bertani. This land was absolutely stunning and is a horsemanship education center. Josephine Landback was our volunteer driver during this stretch of the walk. Josie is an emergency room health unit coordinator and nurse.
Laura and I thoroughly enjoyed being in her safe hands. All three of us stayed in the Mendin’ Fences cabin, with rustic bunks and a fire to keep us warm.
After our walk from Morristown to Bulls Gap that day, we drove back to Knoxville in time for election returns and to celebrate with other supporters.
We were pleased to see that 2022 TAPP endorsed candidates Senator Charlane Oliver, Representative Justin Jones, and Representative Caleb Hemmer were elected to office in Nashville. We were very excited that the endorsed candidate Rep. Ronnie Glynn flipped a seat in our favor in Montgomery County. Dr. Jason Martin lost to incumbent Governor Bill Lee, but Dr. Martin and his campaign did a wonderful job connecting with voters across the state. None of that work will go to waste as we build upon it and continue to grow our base of supporters.
The next day, we had 14.5 miles to go from Bulls Gap to Greeneville. The last week had been overcast and appropriately gloomy for the Halloween season. However, the clouds parted and it was a glorious fall day for Laura, Josephine and me to walk.
In the evening, I connected with Darrell Key, the chair of the local Green County Democrats. He gathered several supporters at a local beauty shop and we had a chance to talk. They gave me a sense of the area and how stigmatizing being a Democrat is there, much less a pro-choice/reproductive health advocate. I could see that there was a dedicated group of liberally-minded supporters and I promised myself I would figure out ways Planned Parenthood could support them and others in this part of the state.
The next day was a rest day. Josephine stayed in Knoxville and I waited for Bo to come back from Nashville to join me at the farm. I spent most of the day relaxing inside the cabin, catching up on emails, and watching Netflix. Linda’s husband took me on a tour of the farm by golf cart. That evening, Linda and I hit the town in Rogersville at McKinney’s Tavern in the historic Hale Springs Inn. Linda deserved a fun night out. She cares for her husband as he is growing older and has a huge farm to care for, essentially on her own. As I learned, talking with supporters in remote parts of Tennessee, it can feel very isolating to feel like one of the few progressives in the county. I will say though, this area was so endearing that I imagine I’ll come back for a longer visit.
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