New Yorkers to Build Solidarity with Virtual Unity Walk

People of all faiths will gather to celebrate the 375th Anniversary of Flushing with a virtual tour of the most religiously diverse neighborhood in America. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12th Annual Queens Interfaith Unity Walk will take place online Sunday, October 17, 3pm. Participants will be able to virtually visit houses of worship in Queens and learn about the faith of their neighbors. Those wishing to participate in the virtual Unity Walk, can register in advance at unitywalk2021.eventbrite.com.

“Our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must not only include material investments, but also spiritual support and interfaith solidarity,” stated John Choe, President of the Flushing Interfaith Council. “The spirit of solidarity and resilience embodied by our Unity Walk is especially important as we celebrate the 375th anniversary year of Flushing’s town charter, the first to guarantee religious freedom in America. The 1645 Charter signed by Director-General Willem Kieft on October 10, 1645, and the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657 are the basis of the many freedoms we enjoy and the remarkable diversity we witness in our community today.”

The Queens Interfaith Unity Walk arose in response to post-9/11 challenges and developed from a model in Brooklyn called "Children of Abraham Peace Walk," which has been bringing churches, mosques, and synagogues together for more than a decade. The Queens event includes non-Abrahamic religious groups as well as a number of faiths reflecting the incredibly diverse cultures of Flushing.

"Though I look forward to this event every year, it is not only a 'feel good' event. Queens is highly diverse and has experienced some tensions and violence targeting that diversity," stated Adem Carroll of the Muslim Progressive Traditionalist Alliance. "We all need to show our solidarity and I hope the people of Queens will come and walk the Walk with us."

During the Unity Walk, we will also be speaking with Sahar Al Sahlani, Board Member of Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY, based in Queens) and niece of the well known leader of Al Khoei Center in Jamaica, a large Shia Muslim community with global reach.

"I am glad to facilitate this year's Muslim organizational visit during Flushing Interfaith Council's event," stated Sahar Al Sahlani, Board member of Council of American Islamic Relations. "Queens has one of the largest and most diverse Muslim communities in the nation, and probably the world!"

This year’s virtual Unity Walk will feature video tours of each house of worship, including the Al Khoei (Muslim) Center, the Hindu Temple Society of North America, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens, the Sikh Center of New York, and Flushing Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). At each stop, members of the respective faith will highlight the religious beliefs and traditions of each congregation as well as historic importance of each house of worship.

“The relevance and importance of our Unity Walk stems from the rising number of hate crimes in our society. In a divided world of 'us' vs. 'them,' the very notion of 'other' needs to be shattered if we are to prevent future acts of bigotry,” stated Harpreet Singh Wahan of the Sikh Center of New York. “Our Unity Walk recognizes all humanity as one – ‘Let there be no strangers’ – through respect and mutual coexistence, we can ensure a better and safer world for all of us.”

The Queens Interfaith Unity Walk is organized by the Flushing Interfaith Council and cosponsored by the Bahá'í Community of Queens, the Sikh Center of New York, the Hindu Temple Society of North America, the Muslim Progressive Traditionalist Alliance, Pax Christi Queens, Flushing Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers),the Free Synagogue of Flushing, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Eckankar Community of Queens, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens. For more information about the Flushing Interfaith Council, please visit fb.com/flushinginterfaith.