On May 9, 2026, join the Interfaith Pilgrimage for Palestine, a public witness calling for an end to military cargo shipments from Oakland to Israel. As the drumbeat of war and profiteering grows louder, we deepen our commitment to non-cooperation with harm and support the Oakland People’s Arms Embargo to proclaim: Divest from war. Invest in life.
This Mother’s Day, join us and be a voice for a different future, a future that sees children as our greatest inheritance. Children are sacred. As parents, aunties/uncles, grandparents, educators, healers and people of faith, let us put our values into actions that save lives and end the horror of the US and Israel’s war on children. For the sake of the future, let us create the world we want to see by demanding an end to the shipping of arms from Oakland.
Together, we will journey 12 miles through Oakland and Alameda, walking our prayers and embodying our shared conviction that every human life is sacred, and that peace with justice cannot be built through militarism. Participants are invited to join us for the entire 12 miles, or for one of the 5 legs (1-3 miles each leg).
This pilgrimage grows out of the global Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimages of 2024 and local collaborations such as the Right of Return Pilgrimage in 2025. In this third year, we renew our collective call for an immediate arms embargo—locally and nationally.
Event Details:
Date & Time: Saturday, May 9, 8am – 4pm
Location: East Bay, CA (Starting in Oakland, journeying through Alameda, ending at Oakland Airport)
Distance: 12 miles (the route will be segmented into 5-6 shorter legs (1-3 miles each) that participants can choose from)
Registration: Coming Soon!
Purpose
The Interfaith Pilgrimage for Palestine invites all participants to journey and pray for an end to the US complicity in war and grieve the impact of war on children in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran.
Objectives:
The Interfaith Pilgrimage for Palestine aligns with the Oakland People’s Arms Embargo, and advocates to:
- Recenter the sacredness of all children
- End the genocide, ethnic cleansing and torture of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.
- Cease all military cargo shipments from Oakland Airport to Israel.
- Implement a permanent policy to prohibit the use of Oakland’s public infrastructure and finances for military transfers to any country committing war crimes.
- Support Block the Bombs legislation nationally
Schedule:
Exact time and program coming soon! These are the general stops along the 12 mile route. Participants are invited to join for the entire 12 miles, or join at one of the stops below and walk along to the following stops:
8am Launch: Oakland City Hall ~ Theme: Impact on Children
Stop: Port of Oakland (Ferry Building) ~ Theme: Impact of weapons on the human body
Stop: Coast Guard Island ~ Theme: Militarization of our lives
Stop: Chevron/beach ~ Theme: Impact on earth and place
Stop: Fed Ex ~ Theme: Sound of war
4pm Closing: Oakland Airport ~ Theme: Culture of Resistance
Donations:
In various pilgrimage traditions, generosity is specifically invited and cultivated as a practice. Offerings are made to express gratitude, seal vows, seek repair, or pay penance for our complicity. Rooted in these traditions we invite your generosity.
Individuals
- Donate when you register. This gift will go towards supporting humanitarian needs for children and families in Gaza and Iran, and campaign support for the Oakland People’s Arms Embargo. Suggested: $1000 – $10.
Organizations and community groups
- Sponsor the pilgrimage to help underwrite the cost of the event – a total of $10,000 for materials, banners and art, supplies for security and medics, snacks, water, and stipends to community leaders. Suggested: $1000, $500, $300, $100.
Please give what is a meaningful gift for you and/or your organization.
How to donate
- Check mailed to: IM4HI, 310 8th Street, Suite #310, Oakland, CA 94607
- Individuals, write checks to IM4HI (memo: “I4P”)
- Organizations, write checks to IM4HI (memo: “I4P sponsor”)
- Online –
- Individuals, donate here: bit.ly/I4Pgive
- Organizations, donate here: https://bit.ly/I4Psponsor
- Please consider covering the 2% processing fee.
How You can Prepare:
- April 19 – Art Build (details coming soon)
- April 29th – Required Zoom Orientation (details coming soon)
Community agreements
This Pilgrimage is a sacred journey in solidarity with Palestinians and other targeted communities. In that spirit, we ask for agreement on the following:
- There will be trained safety teams, de-escalators and police liaisons. I agree to follow all safety instructions given by event organizers and safety team volunteers while participating in the Pilgrimage and to move in the spirit of nonviolence. In case of need, I will reach out to one of these team members. We keep each other safe.
- We will participate prayerfully knowing that we all pray in different ways. We strive to be respectful and be on the journey together. We will find a way to support and care for one another.
- We will be carrying the art we co-create at the Art Build that uplifts the faith-rooted themes for the pilgrimage. We will not bring art, signs, and flags from other actions.
- We will come together to express love and solidarity, embody remembrance and resistance, and channel our grief and anger into action.