“On March 8 of this year, I will catch a ride up the border, 126 miles west, to Roma, Texas. From there, I will walk for nine days with a group of activists, religious and civic leaders, local educators and students back to downtown Brownsville as a form of nonviolent protest against the wall. Although such a walk may seem like a small, even futile gesture against the power of the president’s pen, I have begun to realize the impact this gesture can have as I collaborate with fellow activists who are coordinating the protest and will be making the journey with me. For many, inspiration is drawn from the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, and the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.’ Or, more directly, a favorite phrase of the Highlander Folk School — the organization that trained activists like Rosa Parks and others — ‘You’ve got to move!’ Whatever the impact may be, it never will be felt without an initial motion.” (02/11/08)