BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace has been a tradition in Boston for 24 years, and despite a global pandemic, it's still going ahead this Sunday.
According to the Walk-A-Thon's website, instead of walking together, participants are being asked to tune in online on Mother's Day at 9 a.m. to walk together in unison wherever they are, and continue to raise money and awareness for families impacted by murder.
"It is in times like these that expose the systemic racism experienced by communities of color, immigrants, and communities that are impacted on a daily basis by murder, trauma, grief, and loss," the organizers said in a statement. "We ask that you continue to promote your team and reach your fundraising goals!"
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he will be taking part in the virtual Mother's Day Walk for Peace, which he usually takes part in every year in person, sometimes with his own mother.
"24 years ago Tina Chery created the Mother's Day Walk for Peace in memory of her son Louis, and to support other mothers and families like her," said Walsh on Friday. "Louis was a young man, a peace activist, who lost his life to gun violence... I've been walking in the Mother's Day Walk for Peace since the very first one, along with thousands of others."
During the pandemic, Walsh said the city needs the spirit of healing that the annual Walk For Peace brings "now more than ever." While he noted that Mother's Day will be a "tough day to spend apart," Walsh also urged people to continue socially distancing and "resist the temptation of physical contact." Instead, he said, residents should connect with each other virtually, and hold off on celebrating in person until next year.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App
(Photo: Getty Images)