Peace Pilgrim (1908-1981) spent 28 years walking from coast to coast preaching nonviolence.
Peace Pilgrim (1908-1981) spent 28 years walking from coast to coast preaching nonviolence.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica.
This month, we’re highlighting women who’ve led dynamic lives. Ones that have shifted, evolved and bloomed, often later in life.
Today, we’re talking about a woman who spent 28 years walking from coast to coast preaching nonviolence. Please welcome Peace Pilgrim.
Before there was Peace Pilgrim, there was Mildred Norman. Mildred was born in 1908 on the outskirts of Egg Harbor, New Jersey. She grew up on a poultry farm, and as a kid, she liked to play in the woods and swim in the creek surrounding her home. In high school, she was captain of the debate team, and graduated valedictorian.
Mildred’s sister, Helene, said that young Mildred was a flapper. She was always buying the latest, trendiest clothes. When Mildred was 25, she eloped with a man named Stanley Ryder. The couple fought. He wanted Mildred to be a housewife. She did not. As World War II approached, he wanted to enlist in the army. She was a pacifist. They soon divorced.
Facing divorce, the onset of war, and the death of her father, Mildred was discontent. She took a walk through the woods one night and stopped in her tracks at the sight of a beautiful, moonlit clearing. Reflecting back on this pivotal moment Mildred recalled,
"That night, I experienced the complete willingness, without any reservations whatsoever, to give my life to something beyond myself."
Searching for what that purpose would be, she worked with senior citizens and volunteered with peace organizations. She became a vegetarian and gave up caffeine and white sugar.
In 1952, she became the first woman to ever walk the length of the Appalachian Trail. The over-2,000-mile-long journey was just a small taste of what she would soon accomplish.
On New Year’s Day 1953, the Korean War was still underway, and the threat of a nuclear attack loomed over America. Mildred was 45. That morning, she walked in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, handing out peace petitions. One called for immediate peace in Korea, another for the creation of a national peace department, and another calling on the U.N. to abolish armaments. She shed her given name and donned a shirt with a new one, Peace Pilgrim.
Peace’s march didn’t end with the parade. She kept going and set out on a mission to walk coast to coast in the name of peace.
She carried almost no belongings — just a pen, comb, toothbrush, map, and the tunic on her back. She didn’t use money and depended on the kindness of strangers for food and a place to sleep.
By 1964, Peace had walked over 25,000 miles. After that, she stopped counting. Over 28 years she crossed the country seven times, wearing out 29 pairs of shoes in the process.
Peace gained attention for her walks and was invited to speak at schools and churches about her philosophies.
On July 7, 1981, she was in a fatal car accident.
A day before her death, Peace was interviewed by the radio station in town.
"I certainly am I happy person. Who could know God and not be joyous? I want to wish you all peace."
All month, we’re highlighting dynamos. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!