9/11 Unity Walk Welcomes Humanists
Jennifer Bardi speaks at the 2014 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. See more photos from the event below. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Bardi) On a gloriously bright, hot day yesterday in Washington, DC, hundreds of people walked down Massachusetts Avenue visiting houses of worship along Embassy Row as part of the 9th annual 9/11 Unity Walk. The event brought together Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, other faiths, and those of no faith to learn and listen; to enjoy a variety of ethnic food, music, and dance; and to celebrate unity.
The opening ceremony was held at the Washington Hebrew Congregation. Stops along the route included the Embassy Pentecostal Evangelical Church, Washington National Cathedral, Buddhist Cultural Center, and Khalil Gibran Memorial Park. Other activities were connected to this year’s theme of service. Participants were invited to prepare surplus produce for DC Central Kitchen and Capital Area Food Bank, put together meals for DC’s homeless with MakeSpace, and assemble bags of trail mix to distribute to area shelters.
In 2012 participant Imam Mohamed Magid summed up the purpose of the annual event when he said, “We walk because we have not yet arrived.” Organizers see the need to bring people together in the spirit of cooperation and shared humanity. And this year I was fortunate to participate in the closing ceremony at the Islamic Center of Washington as the first-ever humanist speaker. Sitting in an air-conditioned conference room before the ceremony with the other speakers, Rabbi Gerald Serotta, executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington; Pastor Dave Owens and two of his colleagues from Embassy Church; and Sister Jenna, director of Brahma Kumaris Meditation Museum and host of the America Meditating Radio Show, afforded a chance to connect on a personal level and share a bit about ourselves. It was the essence of the event, I think, to connect with lovely people from such different faith traditions.
Following Rabbi Serotta and Pastor Owens, I opened my remarks by noting that when people realize most humanists don’t believe in a deity, the want to know what humanists do believe. “Humanists believe in you. Humanists believe in us,” I told them. “And humanists believe in the power of ‘we’—that if we assign a purpose to our lives beyond survival, it is to prosper and to help others prosper.” Offering choice quotes from humanists Linus Pauling, Gloria Steinem, and Carl Sagan, I then asked that we cherish and celebrate our shared capacity for reason, compassion, and love, and indicated that humanists are everywhere among us.
Participants and the organizers could not have been more welcoming. The comment that stuck with me the most was a question, whispered in my ear: “When will human virtue trump religions?” Just as the Unity Walkers must continue until they arrive, it’s a question we must continue to ask until it is answered.
Scenes from the 2014 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Bardi.
Scenes from the 2014 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Bardi.
Scenes from the 2014 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Bardi.
Scenes from the 2014 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Bardi.
Scenes from the 2014 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Bardi
Scenes from the 2014 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Bardi
Scenes from the 2014 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington, DC. PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Bardi.