Members of the media may contact me directly to request an interview regarding Walk to Freedom South Jersey. Email: kjohnston16@yahoo.com
Media Notes & Updates
On Saturday April 2, Deborah Price and I began a 165-mile Walk to Freedom journey retracing the Underground Railroad across South New Jersey from Cape May to Burlington City. The goal of the walk is to resurrect the voices and memory of the people who history has forgotten, while simultaneously recognizing the families that were separated and reunited again by their love for each other and their quest for freedom.
For more information, please refer to our press release.
The public is invited to join us at any point in the walk. Updates on the starting and end point of each week’s walk will be posted on the itinerary on the blog page.
Starting in Cape May, Saturday April 2, 2022
The first day of the walk will be a night walk simulating how many Freedom Seekers travelled to avoid from being spotted by kidnappers who would attempt to return to them to slavery. The walk will begin at Second and Beach Ave, in Cape May, about 4:30 p.m., and continue to the Harriet Tubman Museum on Lafayette St. before turning north toward Cold Spring, Whitesboro and continuing up Route 9 ending at the Cape May Court House.
Day two of the walk, Sunday April 3, will begin at 8:00 a.m. at the Cape May Court House and follow Route 47 to the Delmont Post Office, about 15-miles.
March 31, 2021 The Perth Amboy River Crossing on Saturday April 3, remains unconfirmed. A previous commitment appears to have fallen through. If we are unable to secure a boat ride across the Arthur Kill River we will drive to Tottenville and resume our walk to the Light House Museum on the North Shore.
August 30, 2019 Update: Sin Cita/Without Appointment begins Saturday September 7, in Quebradillas, to coincide with the 2017 passing of Hurricane Irma. The caminata across Puerto Rico will conclude on September 20 to mark the 2nd Anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s devastating landfall on the archipelago. The walk will terminate in Yabucoa.
April 8, 2019 Update: I plan to begin my peace walk on Wednesday April 10 at 9:00 a.m. from Belfast City Hall. My outward march will follow the following streets:
Donegal Pl., Royal Ave., Clifton St., Crumlin Road, A55, Lionel Road, Ballyhill Road, Lylehill Road, Ballyutoag Road (A52), to B39 and onwards to Antrim. This is an approximate route the 1969 People’s Democracy marchers may have followed out of Belfast. I will make adjustments as I go along to stay true to the original route as much as possible.
News Release
Our Walk to Freedom_New York_Press Release
Walk Across Puerto Rico_Sin Cita
Walk Across Northern Ireland_Ken Johnston Press Release
News Articles
Retracing Harriet Tubman’s Steps to Freedom Across Delaware, Delaware Today, 5/20/2021
Retracing the Steps of Harriet Tubman, Ken Johnston Comes to BK on His Walk to Freedom, 4/6/2021
Walking Artist to End 265-Mile Underground Railroad Trek in NYC, 4/6/2021
The Lantern, Newsletter, Kennett Square Underground Railroad, 3/2020
Underground Railroad hiker welcomed in Kennett, Chester County Press, 2/18/2020
American pair retracing original civil rights march, Derry Journal, 4/16/2019
Walking the “Belfast to Derry” and “Selma to Montgomery” trail in the name of civil rights, IrishCentral.com, 4/5/19
Radio Interview: May The Road Rise Up To Meet You, WRSI-FM, 4/5/19
Amherst man to take 3-day walk to fight hunger, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 6/14/18
Massachusetts man passes through county during Selma to Memphis walk, 280 Reporter, 3/7/2018
Johnston spreads awareness for civil rights one step at a time, Selma Times Journal, 2/28/2018
Johnston embarks on 400 mile walk to honor Dr. King, Selma Times Journal, 2/24/2018
Amherst man to walk from Selma to Memphis for civil rights, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 2/21/2018
Amherst man hopes to hear ‘spirit of ancestors’ on 400 mile Selma to Memphis walk, Springfield Republican, 2/11/2018
Amherst Man Pieces Together A Walk To Remember, Cape Cod Times, 9/25/2017
Amherst Man Walks the Breadth of Massachusetts, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 9/25/2017
MassWalk 2017, Blog, Summer 2017