Ken Johnston resides in Amherst, Massachusetts. After eight years of pondering about walking long distances, Johnston decided in 2017 to walk across the state of Massachusetts, where he has lived for the last fifteen years. Johnston attended the University of Massachusetts as a young man, and decided to adopt the state as a second home.
In walking across Massachusetts, he met many interesting people. A visit to Memphis, Tennessee, and the National Civil Rights Museum – which incorporates the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated – inspired in Johnston the plan to walk from Selma, Alabama, to Memphis to honor the legacy of Dr. King and to promote awareness of the continued struggle for civil rights.
On March 1st and 2nd, Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, Inc. provided Johnston with a guest room and minor transportation around the city. The morning of March 2nd, he continued his sojourn northward toward Birmingham and ultimately hopes to arrive in Memphis on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death for the national commemoration of that event.
To follow or help sponsor Mr. Johnston on this inspiring journey, please visit his Walk to Freedom blog, where writes intermittently about this trek and those he encounters.