Capricious weather, rugged roads and 367 miles lie ahead, but one man is determined to accomplish his goal — walking from Atlanta to Memphis.
Terence Lester, a Georgia native, decided to walk for the homeless people he serves in his non-profit organization, “Love Beyond Walls,” which he started four and a half years ago. He said the organization uses technology and storytelling to raise awareness of the realities and needs of those who are a part of the homeless population.
“The people we serve from our center on a week-to-week basis motivated me to walk,” Lester said. “Each of these persons, whether dealing with poverty, homelessness and economic injustice, are people I care deeply about.”
Memphis’ poverty rate is at 26.9 percent, and the city has a child poverty rate of 44.7 percent, according to an October 2017 poverty fact sheet. The report also found minorities have a greater poverty rate than non-Hispanic whites in the city. Lester said his motivation to walk aligns with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision and purpose of coming to Memphis.
“Fifty years ago when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, he was fighting for these same types of people,” Lester said. “People who are struggling to make it in a land of wealth. I wanted to connect to that legacy of standing up for the vulnerable. What better way to do that than by walking from the place where he lived and did ministry to the place where his life was taken, fighting for the people I care deeply about: poor people.”
Lester said his favorite words from King come from his “Drum Major Instinct” sermon, in which King said greatness is found in serving. Lester said he attempts to live his life by these words, and they inspire him to serve the poor and forgotten. So far, he has walked for 24 days straight, during which he has faced certain obstacles.
“Since walking, I’ve been stopped five times by police officers because people called the police on me,” Lester said. “I’ve gotten four threats for my life, had three motorists try to hit me, counted over 190 flags that remind me of a horrid past and encountered over 90 dogs, and that was all in the state of Alabama.”
Lester said during his walk, he also witnessed the conditions of the poor and homeless.
“I’ve also seen the unbelievable poverty that is silently decaying fabric of our country from the inside out,” Lester said. “I’ve seen poor schools and families hanging on to strings in communities saturated with poverty, and I’ve met homeless people and counted over 110 abandoned buildings and houses.”
Lester said seeing the hopelessness in the eyes of the homeless made him very emotional. Although he faced these troubles, one of his friends served as a source of support during the walk.
“My friend James, who is of another race, committed to stay with me for a week after some of those occurrences for safety and encouragement,” Lester said.
Lester said James took off work and made the commitment to finish the rest of the walk with him to display unity and stand with the poor. He also said the hardships he faced in certain towns motivated him to continue walking and show compassion for others.
“I continued to experience hardships in many small towns because of the division in our country, and these firsthand accounts begin to shape my compassion more,” Lester said. “Instead of running away, I’ve felt God saying run towards it all. Instead of stopping, I decided to continue to show love because the love of God always wins.”
Lester said he and his wife have made it a priority to continue taking risks because they see this as something they are put here to do together. He also said they tend to think about what could happen in these situations, but their immediate response is, “We are willing to die for the cause.”
In addition to his walk, Lester has slept under bridges like a homeless person would for a month. He also lived in homeless shelters, stayed on top of a bus to bring attention to homelessness and walked to Washington, D.C., from Atlanta.
Lester was 81 miles away from Memphis as of Monday and said when he arrives, he plans to visit the Lorraine Motel on April 4 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of King’s assasination and take a stand against poverty with the “Poor People’s Campaign.”
Terence Lester, a Georgia native and pastor, is walking from Atlanta to Memphis for MLK50. He faced several obstacles during his walk, but he said he refused to quit.
Terence Lester, a Georgia native and pastor, is walking from Atlanta to Memphis for MLK50. He faced several obstacles during his walk, but he remained determined to not quit.
Terence Lester, a Georgia native and pastor, is walking from Atlanta to Memphis for MLK50. He faced several obstacles during his walk, but he remained determined to not quit.
