Earth Day Walk on Franklin with Pedestrian Dignity

Description: Join us for a one-of-a-kind walking/movement* experience along the full (5.5 mile) length of Franklin Avenue through Minneapolis and into St. Paul. There will be three optional meeting points for those who would prefer options. Throughout the event we will make meaningful 'shoulder-to-shoulder' connections, listen to local stories, ground ourselves in themes of mobility justice (pedestrian safety/connectivity, equity, accessibility, class justice, racial justice, climate action) and learn a few new tools for advocating (in our systems and outside them) for dignified, accessible and healthy streets. Pedestrian Dignity events center lived experience. We will invite participants to be in their senses and to feel what so many have to face - both positive and negative - related to being a pedestrian moving through practical corridors. 

We will also share in the many benefits of moving the way we are made to (environment/Earth Day, mental health, creativity, play, nature connection, community participation, and more). We will take breaks, honor the pace of all who join, and listen to the needs of the group as we move. We will also celebrate unity, the benefits of walking/rolling for health, and more. Our walk will end on University, near the Raymond Avenue Station. 

*The term walking is inclusive to moving with a wheelchair or powered scooter.

Meeting Locations:

Join us for the whole route or any one of the following meeting locations:

1. Early Start! (8:30 AM) - Meet at W Franklin Ave & Oliver Ave

2. Transit Start! (9:00-9:15 AM) - Meet at W Franklin Ave & Hennepin Ave S

3. Halfway! (10:30-10:45 AM) - Meet at E Franklin Ave & Bloomington

Flexibility: Considering that this is an exploratory (stop & go) longer-distance event with multiple meeting locations, please have utmost flexibility for over group pace and arrival/departure times!

Hosts:

Julia Curran (she/he/they) is non-binary and mixed race, a nearly lifelong pedestrian, artist, geographer, and wanderer. They spent almost a decade as a carfree caretaker for their father before he died in 2022 at age 101; after learning the city at his side as a small child, they were lucky to be able to explore it again decades later with him, in community with strangers across the city. They’re passionate about the connections we form at walking pace, with one another and with the other living beings sharing our streets, and through the places and seasons we inhabit.

Their artistic practice is living as a human fully aware of our near-future, bridging activism and grief around complex global systems with tangible manifestations of hope and action in this transitional time: using street-debris to rust-dye fabric then sewn into clothing to wear to advocate for accessible sidewalks; darning socks as as they walk the city and patching shirts in community meetings; creating cyanotypes of photos of ephemeral Minneapolis winters as they are lost to a rapidly warming planet.

Julia is currently appointed to the City of Minneapolis’ Pedestrian Advisory Committee. They’ve also been an active advocate across various non-profits and political & engagement campaigns, centering racial justice, sustainable & accessible transportation, and reduced emissions via reduction, repair, and reuse.

Jonathon Stalls (he, his) spent 242 days walking across the United States in 2010 and has continued to move alongside thousands of people for thousands of miles. He identifies as a 'walking artist' with his creative project, Intrinsic Paths. He also founded Walk2Connect in 2012. His work currently moves in the realms of pen and ink drawing, writing and poetry, storytelling with the Pedestrian Dignity project, economic and racial justice organizing, training walk event leaders, guiding meditative practices, and creating long-distance walking routes. His first book, WALK - Slow Down, Wake Up & Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour (North Atlantic Books) was released on August 16, 2022. He is gay/queer and resides primarily in Denver, CO.

Sponsors: AARP Minnesota & Intrinsic Paths

Access Needs: If you have any access questions or needs, please get in touch with us: jonathon (at) intrinsicpaths (dot) com

Registration/RSVP: Please register for this event so we can send you additional planning details as we get closer. Note the three segment options in the RSVP form. Take note of your specific timing and plan accordingly. The event form will default to the beginning of the event and not your chosen segment. If you decide to change your meeting location, no worries at all. You can let us know if you like, but it isn't necessary.

Support Jonathon's Creative Work Ongoing: If you would like to support Intrinsic Paths, the Pedestrian Dignity project, future book events, and more, please consider joining as a Patron here. ; )