The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament, Inc. (also referred to as The Great Peace March, GPM, and the March) was a cross-country event in 1986 aimed at raising awareness to the growing danger of

nuclear proliferation Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons, fissionable material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information to nations not recognized as " Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Wea ...

and to advocate for complete, verifiable elimination of

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

from the earth. The GPM consisted of hundreds of people, mostly but not exclusively Americans, who convened in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, in February 1986 to walk from L.A. to Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. The group left Los Angeles on March 1, 1986 and arrived in Washington, D.C. on November 15, 1986, a journey of about 3,700 miles, nine months, and many campsites.

Organization

The March was conceived by Los Angeles businessman

David Mixner David Benjamin Mixner (born August 16, 1946) is an American political activist and author. He is best known for his work in anti-war and gay rights advocacy. Early life Mixner was born on August 16, 1946, and grew up in the small town of E ...

, who formed People Reaching Out for Peace (PRO-Peace), a non-profit organization. Due to bankruptcy, PRO-Peace folded while the March was in

Barstow, California Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the I ...

. A few weeks of round-the-clock meetings followed to assess resources, reorganize, and to form a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

, self-governed organization. Once reorganized, the March continued its eastward trek. Participants in the march included bookseller

John Windle John Mark Windle (born May 21, 1962 in Cookeville, Tennessee) is an American politician and an Independent member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing District 41 since January 1991. In 2022, Windle filed to run as an independe ...

and Lily S. Cree, environmental activist.

Peace marches before and after

* In 1976 the War Resisters League took part in organizing "The Continental Walk for Nuclear Disarmament and Social Justice" which also left from Los Angeles and arrived in Washington, simultaneously with several "branch" routes. * "Pleading for Peace, Archaeologists Studying Camp Where Anti-nuclear Activists Staged Protests." Article about the Nevada Test Site. * "Analysis of

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

Action 1987" (Once there, click on magnifier image to bring up text. Scroll up a bit to get to the beginning of the subject.) * "American Soviet Walk: Taking Steps to End the Nuclear Arms Race," by Fred Segal and Fred E. Basten. * "OurMove.org" offers a detailed, annotated photographic account of the American Soviet Peace Walk, which took place on the 450 kilometer stretch between St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) and Moscow, Russia, in the summer of 1987. Ourmove.org is based on a 1988 book by Fred Segal & Fred E. Basten, "American Soviet Walk: Taking Steps to End the Nuclear Arms Race," published by the United World of the Universe Foundation. * Article with quite a bit about the Soviet-American walk, "Saying No To Power Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker," by William Mandel. * At least one part-time participant of the Great Peace March, Kevin James Shay, participated in a previous two-year march called

Walk of the People – A Pilgrimage for Life A Walk of the People – A Pilgrimage for Life was a walking personal and political action organized by peace activists Dale James Outhouse and Pamela Blockey O'Brien to bring attention to the perils of impending Nuclear warfare, nuclear war between ...

that went across the U.S. and Europe in 1984–85. Shay walked with the Great Peace March for its first week in California.

Outcomes and resources

Film

* ''Just One Step'' was a documentary film of the Great Peace March by Cathy Zheutlin, edited by James Knight

Books

* ''Spirit Walk: The Great Peace March of 1986'' By Martin Vincent Hippie. 2012. 434 pages. * ''Walking For Our Lives'' by marcher Donna Rankin Love * ''The Great Peace March: An American Odyssey'' (Peacewatch Edition) by Franklin Folsom, Connie Fledderjohann, Gerda Lawrence * ''Feet Across America'' by

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

marcher Anne Macfarlane * ''Peace Like a River: A Personal Journey Across America'' by Sue Guist * ''Lost Journals from the Great Peace March'' by Gene Gordon * ''A Strange Place Called Home: My Walk Across America on the Great Peace March'' by Laura Monagan * ''The Great Peace March'', song into children's book by

Holly Near Holly Near (born June 6, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist. Early years Holly Near was born in Ukiah, California, United States, and was raised on a ranch in Potter Valley, California. She was eight years ...

, Paintings by Lisa Desimini * ''Central Body: The Art of

Guy Colwell Guy Colwell (born March 28, 1945) is an American painter and occasional underground cartoonist. Although not African-American himself, Colwell's comics often portray blacks in strong roles in stories of life on the streets. His " Figurative Soci ...

'', including work from the years 1964 to 1991. Includes a section of his sketches of the G.P.M. * "Pit Stop For The Angels" by Bill Patterson This book contains sketches of the marchers and the places they stayed throughout the march. * ''Walking to Japan — a Memoir'' by Derek Youngs & Carolyn Affleck Youngs. 2016. This book contains several chapters about the Great Peace March. * ''The Prince of Peace City'', a novel based on the Great Peace March by marcher Lee W. Anderson. 2016.

Research

* ''Peace March: Process = Success'',

Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abou ...

Consortium, Working Paper 90-3, May, 1990. By Lynne Ihlstrom, Department of

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

, University of Colorado at Boulder.

Music

* ''Wild Wimmin For Peace CD'' * Lyrics for song from Wild Wimmin CD-Bridgett Evans by

Judy Small Judith Margaret Small is a retired judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and former folk singer. Small was known for her feminist, often patriotic, and political songs, usually following a traditional theme. She produced twelve albu ...

* "No More Silence" YouTube video. Song written by marcher

Darryl Purpose Darryl Purpose is an American singer-songwriter, known for his narrative (often very personal) lyrics and fingerstyle guitar. Before becoming a professional musician, Purpose was a professional blackjack player and was known as one of the best i ...

. This updated version sung by Clan Dyken with new rap added. * No More Silence lyrics. * ''Beautiful Planet'' by Michael Krieger. Scroll down to "Look Inside" CD.

Articles written by marchers

* "A Laboratory in Democracy: Revisiting the Great Peace March" by Steve Brigham * "How to Make a Decision Without Making a Decision" (written for ''Communities'' magazine, Winter 2000) by Tom Atlee * "The

Tao ''Tao'' or ''Dao'' is the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, East Asian religions, or any other phil ...

of Democracy" by Tom Atlee

Audio interviews

* "The Wisdom of the Whole", audio of Tom Atlee * "Audio interview with

marcher Maynie Thompson"

Other marches

The New England Walk for Nuclear Disarmament occurred in 1987 covering over 200 miles from Portland, NH to Groton, CT. The walk was organized by

Seeds of Peace Seeds of Peace is a peacebuilding and leadership development organization headquartered in New York City. It was founded in 1993. As its main program, the organization brings youth and educators from areas of conflict to its camp in Maine. It a ...

, a group of organizers from the GPM, and used equipment from the GPM. The

Great March for Climate Action The Great March for Climate Action (also known as the Climate March) was launched on March 1, 2013, by former Iowa lawmaker Ed Fallon, inspired by a meeting with Bill McKibben. "Since probably 2007, I've identified the climate crisis as the most ...

in 2014 was inspired in part by its founder

Ed Fallon Ed Fallon is an American activist, former politician, talk show host, author, and urban farmer. He is an American politician from the State of Iowa. He was previously a Democratic candidate for Governor of Iowa and the U.S. Congress, and served ...

's experience with the 1986 Great Peace March.

References

External links

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Related archives

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

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* The Great Peace March Audio Video Archiv

* Archives from Pro Peac

* California Online Archive

* Pro-peace/Mixner archive

* Yale University Archives, David Mixner's paper

* Franklin Folsom's personal papers archived at University of Colorado at Boulde

* Harvard Archive of the International Peace Walk , Folsom, Affeldt, Smith et al. Scroll down to the word "International

* Archive Grid , Various items related to the GPM

{{US anti-nuclear movement 1986 protests Anti–nuclear weapons movement Anti-war protests in the United States 1986 in the United States Peace marches Protest marches in Washington, D.C. Anti-nuclear protests in the United States Environmental protests in the United States