WHAT IS THIS?  Everyday Americans are coming together to walk, run, bike and ride from West Virginia to Washington, D.C., to call for action on the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and D.C. statehood.

 

The three-day relay kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 20, with a caravan starting in Charleston, W.Va., then travels from Harpers Ferry, W.Va. to Point of Rocks, Md., on Thursday, Oct. 21.  The final day of the relay is Friday, Oct. 22, when walkers and riders journey from Glen Echo Park in Maryland to Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C. The event will conclude on Saturday, Oct. 23, with a celebratory Rally, joined by the family of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., outside the U.S. Capitol. Click here to view the relay route.

 

The bike route relay starts on October 20 in Charleston, WV to Harpers Ferry. On October 21, the caravan travels from Hapers Ferry (about 70 miles from DC), to Point of Rocks, MD and ends at the Capitol in DC on October 23. If you do not want to start in West Virginia, you can participate in the bike/hike part on Friday (Oct 22) from Glen Echo to American University and then again on Saturday (Oct 23) at the Rally in DC. From Glen Echo to AU is about 5 miles which is about a 2-hour walk or a half hour bike ride.   See  Flyer on the "Freedom to Vote Relay & Rally"  which was prepared by LWVMD Co-President  nsoreng [at] lwvmd.org (Nancy Soreng).

 

 

NOTE: The stopping points/ passing points along the whole route have civil rights history significance. Glen Echo park was segregated until Howard students held a sit-in in 1960. https://glenechopark.org/civil-rights.  See Flyer for full route and stops.