The Walk for Peace organization in Fort Worth received a national award from The Courage Project on Thursday for work to “promote peace and unity amidst a time of unrest across the nation.”
The 2,300-mile Walk for Peace began from the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth in October and concluded in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in early February. Nineteen Buddhist monks walked across 10 states through challenging weather conditions in a journey to promote national healing, unity and compassion.
The organization is one of 18 honorees across the country to receive The Courage Project award, “who channeled their courage and compassion into acts of service to restore their communities,” according to a news release.
According to The Courage Project organizers, this award is an initiative to honor “everyday acts of bravery.”
Buddhist monks who walked nearly 2,300 miles to Washington D.C. for peace arrive back at the Húóng Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 14. Bob Booth Special to the Star-Telegram
The monks’ “journey has fostered community engagement nationwide, symbolizing resilience, unity, and hope in a time of social division,” the release stated.
“This recognition affirms the aspiration at the heart of the Walk for Peace and the courage to walk and meet others with compassion in a divided world,” Walk for Peace organizers said in the release. “Each step was an act of faith in our shared humanity, inviting connection over separation, and a call to look within to find one’s inner peace. We are deeply grateful that this journey of mindful presence and nonviolence resonates with the Courage Project’s mission to uplift courageous action in service of a more peaceful and unified world.”
Hundreds of community members joined the 19 monks on Valentine’s Day during their homecoming walk in Fort Worth. Throughout their journey, millions of people connected with them on social media.
The official Facebook page of Walk of Peace has over two million followers and over one million on TikTok, with some videos that have been watched over 15 million times.
Buddhist monks who walked nearly 2,300 miles to Washington D.C. for peace arrive back at the Húóng Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 14. Bob Booth Special to the Star-Telegram
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Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.