Caminando (Walking)

This weekend, several Sinsinawa Dominicans and I attended the annual School of the Americas vigil and protest.  Several thousand people gathered at the gates of the school to remember the thousands tortured, kidnapped, and murdered at the hands of dictators and militaries trained there.

It was a powerful, holy, and overwhelming weekend.  We heard from people who have lost children, parents, friends.  We heard from people who have been working for over thirty years to close the school and end the injustice.  We sang, danced, prayed, and called forth the names of the dead.

As I return home, my spirit somehow feels both broken and lifted.  I am energized to have been among such a dedicated group of peacemakers, but I am also reminded that working for justice “is just like a long walk… the real changes take a lot of time and we need to learn how to walk to the change we want to see.” (Francisco Herrera).

Herrera wrote a song about this called “Caminando (Walking),” and it was my favorite of the whole weekend.  Often real change seems to be just beyond the horizon, but having a vision is what keeps us going.  Vamos caminando hacia la paz.

What is the vision toward which you are walking?

Christin Tomy, Candidate

Jacksonville, FL