Erica S. Gilmore is inviting residents, faith leaders and community organizations to participate in Nashville’s 4th annual Faith Leaders Walk later this month, an event designed to promote unity, wellness and cross-cultural connection among the city’s diverse faith communities.
The walk is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, and will begin at 11 am. Participants will gather outside the Hillsboro Village Kroger at 2201 21st Ave. S. before taking part in a 30-minute community walk through the area.
Gilmore said the event grew out of her work as a national board member for America Walks, a group focused on mobility justice and creating safer, more walkable communities.
“Inspired by that, I created this Faith Leaders Walk four years ago as a way to tie fun, healthy movement together with connection—and it has just taken off,” Gilmore said.
Over the past several years, the event has attracted participation from a broad range of faith communities across Nashville, including members of the Islamic Center, Catholic Charities, Protestant congregations and the Jewish community.
Gilmore said the informal atmosphere of the walk encourages open dialogue and relationship-building among people of different religious and cultural backgrounds.
“This kind of low-pressure environment, where we’re out enjoying the weather and sharing space, makes people comfortable to ask respectful questions about each other’s faiths,” Gilmore said. “We have seen beautiful friendships and partnerships bloom from this walk.”
The Faith Leaders Walk is part of Gilmore’s broader ‘Walks with the Trustee’ initiative and follows the recent Diane Nash Commemorative March, another annual community-focused event hosted by the trustee’s office.
Organizers say the walk is intended to encourage healthy activity while also fostering understanding and cooperation among Nashville residents from different backgrounds and traditions.
Participants can register through the Metropolitan Trustee’s website at Metro Nashville Trustee’s Office.
