The Peace Walk 2002 weekend was an invitation to committed individuals dedicated to seeking peace to come together and practice the living spiritual traditions of humankind -- prayer, mindfulness, meditation, yoga -- guided by leading peacemakers and practitioners of nonviolence. Through learning or re-learning how to cultivate inner peace, we sought to heal the wounds that harm the lives of the people of our region and the world.  The hope was that this powerful 3-day gathering would have a lasting and profound effect on everyone who participated and in turn empower individuals to use that energy to make permanent changes in their lives and communities.

The Opening Ceremony for Peace Walk 2002 was  held at the National Civil Rights Museum on Friday evening, September 27^th.  At this historic event, the museum and the city of Memphis was recognized for its work in human rights with the installation of the first World Peace Flame Monument in the United States.

The Saturday morning Peace Walk, led by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh and other local and international peacemakers, was a mindful walk in Overton Park, providing participants with the opportunity to imaging peace … for themselves, for their communities, for the world … with each step they took.  It was followed in the afternoon by a Peace Concert featuring local and national performers.  Saturday night was a talk by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.

Sunday was a day of mindfulness practice at Rhodes College and also allowed Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh a time to speak to the Vietnamese community

By police estimated over 8000 people took part in the 3 day event.