Walk for Peace Touches Winthrop Community with Hopeful Message (01/14/26)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Nineteen Buddhist monks traveled through Rock Hill this week as part of a 2,300-mile trek from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C.
• Several Winthrop University faculty and staff observed and participated in their journey, many saying it was a privilege to share it firsthand.

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - The Walk for Peace has been described as prayer in motion.

Nineteen Buddhist monks traveled through Rock Hill this week as part of a 2,300-mile trek from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. Several Winthrop University faculty and staff observed and participated in their journey, many saying it was a privilege to share it firsthand.

Starting on Oct. 26, 2025, at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center, the monks average walking 20-23 miles per day, drawing crowds along roadways and at their resting spots for lunch and locations to spend the night. The closer they approach their final destination, which ends in February at the nation's capital, the more people want to participate in their movement.

On Day 80 and 81, the monks traveled through York County, stopping to spend the night at Catawba Baptist Church south of Rock Hill. Thousands of people of all walks of life turned out to hear the monks' message to cultivate peace through compassion, loving-kindness and mindfulness.

Biology Professor Pum Grubbs reached out to organizers when they were close to Rock Hill to see how she could help. She ended up preparing and serving breakfast in the early hours at the Great Falls, South Carolina, stop in nearby Chester County. She helped that night again at Catawba Baptist. "Being there and witnessing firsthand how exhausted they were each day, and how much pain the monks felt by the end of their walk, made me even more appreciative of their dedication," Grubbs said. "I was happy to get a chance to help the support staff, who are working long days to make sure that each stop is successful."

The monks, she said, range in age and in international backgrounds. "I think many were surprised about how big this walk has become," she added. "They are however happy that they could connect with so many people who were cheered by seeing the monks in our town."

Monks gave out flowers or peace bracelets/strings to raise awareness of peace, kindness and compassion across America and the world.

Lori Tuttle, executive director for alumni relations and reunion giving, took her two daughters to see the monks at Catawba Baptist. "The large crowd quietly respected their walking approach, which was so touching. We felt connected to the people around us and there was a unique excitement in the air," she said. "It was moving to watch the monks pass by, give them flowers and for a monk to gift my daughter a flower. The monks are touching so many lives with their message of peace, which is something everyone can support."

English Professor Jo Koster and John Holder, adjunct faculty member of the Department of Political Science, also helped with the monks' visit. They greeted the monks in the morning with words of support. "Listening to the monks chant for peace as the sun came up and the birds began to sing was a very moving experience," Koster said, saying that she would take their message of peace forward.

As the monks continued their spiritual and humanitarian journey along Cherry Road in Rock Hill into Fort Mill, they stopped for lunch and rest at the Anne Springs Close Greenway. By nightfall, the monks would enter a seventh state as they moved towards Charlotte, North Carolina, where crowds are expected to be very large.

Maura Conway, data coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences, was able to greet the monks along the way near the Greenway. "It was amazing," she said. "The group radiates peace in a time when so much is in stress, anxiety and turmoil. It restored my view of my community to see so many people curious and engaged in peaceful, mindful exchange."

Sustainability Coordinator Chris Johnson and Senior Biology Instructor Cassie Bell joined the monks along the route to walk with them for a mile to show their support for peace.

The monks' message is: "We walk not to protest, but to awaken the peace that already lives within each of us."

Georgette Bell, a fiscal technician, found the monks' message very powerful while attending the Catawba Baptist Church gathering with her daughters. "It was amazing to see that many people gather for the same reason. Their statement was powerful and has reached so many!"

Brittany Pigford, archivist with the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, said the "best thing was seeing people from different religions, cultures and political beliefs all coming together for one thing…peace."

Some from the Winthrop community sought to see the monks several times. Mass Communication Professor Emerita Padmini Patwardhan and her husband, Hemant, a marketing professor emeritus, made three separate trips. "It is important to me to welcome them into my heart," Padmini said. "There is a connectedness that truly feels like it has power to bring people together. I am so grateful for these moments. And seeing Winthrop friends on a similar journey is such a wonderful feeling!

For more information, please contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at [email protected] or 803/323-2404.