Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

WAR: WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?

For the 44th time, marchers join Walk for Peace, Social Justice & the Environment in Kamloops

May 13, 2019 | 5:32 PM

KAMLOOPS — Nearly five decades ago, as the Cold War raged between the USSR and United States of America the world was living in fear of the potential for Nuclear War. In response, grassroots demonstrations like the Kamloops Walk for Peace began popping up, calling for cooler heads to prevail and de-escalate the tensions between the two superpowers. Forty-four years later, and the Walk for Peace, Social Justice and the Environment in Kamloops is still going strong, and despite a change in name, the goal of the walk is the same: promote peace amongst people through understanding.

Music, speakers, and beautiful weather were all on display at the 44th annual Walk for Peace, Social Justice, and the Environment hosted by the local chapter of the Council of Canadians on Saturday, as more than 100 people turned out to show their support for the planet and its inhabitants.

“Without social justice, you can’t have peace, and without an environment you can live in, you can’t have peace,” Kamloops Council of Canadians Chair Anita Strong explained. “We added those parts to the Peace Walk, and it really encourages people to see those connections.”

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Before those additions were made, the walk was founded in response to the nuclear propagation that was going on as a result of the Cold War between the USA and USSR. Resident Bill Ferguson was at that first ever Peace Walk in Kamloops and he was there on Saturday as well.

“There was a great fear throughout the world that there would actually be a war,” Ferguson told CFJC Today. “And there probably would have been had it not been for the masses of people who turned out during that period in demonstration.”

Nearly five decades later, the fears surrounding mutually assured destruction as a result of nuclear war have mostly subsided, but a new threat to humanity has emerged. Climate change is what young Canadians like Kate Nanson now fear is jeopardizing their future.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“For most of my life I’ve been sort of interested in the environment,” Nanson said. “Definitely in the recent summers, with the fires [and] it being so smoky outside that you can’t even really go outside, I’m thinking this is something that shouldn’t be happening.”

Saturday’s walk was also about bringing people together for a common reason and creating a sense togetherness. Muqsit Faruqi, one of the Directors of the Kamloops Islamic Association, says considering the recent attacks on both Christians and Muslims around the globe, creating a feeling of community across different faiths is an essential step in fostering understanding.

“We live in a world where we can hide behind our screens, and we have keyboard warriors who can argue for days upon days,” Farouqi said. “If you can come face to face and talk to people and share your perspective and your point of view, you might actually touch their hearts and get the point across.”

For young and old at the walk, they agree; the important thing is that the silent majority speaks up now, to ensure humanity corrects its course and a crisis is averted.

Image Credit: CFJC Today