RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Monday welcomed a group of Buddhist monks to Richmond City Hall, honoring their 100-day “Walk for Peace” with her first proclamation as Virginia’s governor.
Spanberger thanked Mayor Avula, the City Council and city government leaders “for opening up City Hall today to welcome these venerable monks on their journey through Richmond.”
The monks, who are on a 120-day walk from Texas to Washington D.C., aim “to make clear to the people of the United States and the world that when you believe in something, you can bring people together in common cause,” Spanberger said.
Before the ceremony at City Hall, state lawmakers presented the monks with proclamations from the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate.
Spanberger then issued her own, officially recognizing Feb. 2, 2026, as Walk for Peace Day in the Commonwealth.
“As a new governor, this is the first proclamation that I have written,” she said, calling it a fitting honor that “recognizes the strength and the valor of these venerable monks … and the continued walk towards our nation’s capital.”
The governor said the monks’ journey comes “at a time when communities across our nation face a variety of challenges and deepening divisions.”
She described their walk as “a powerful reminder to us that peace is a daily practice that begins within and radiates outward to families, communities, and nations.”
Spanberger thanked the monks for giving Virginians “the opportunity for people of all faith backgrounds and beliefs to join in a shared aspiration to live with greater compassion, understanding, and goodwill.”
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