TACOMA, Wash. — Many around Tacoma are familiar with The Peace Bus, and its founder Kwabi Amoah-Forson. Now, Amoah Forson is heading out to the other Washington - D.C. - to talk peace with the nation's highest executive, President Biden.
Amoah-Forson is known for his tireless humanitarian aid efforts around south Puget Sound. He's spent years advocating for peace, feeding hungry kids and offering essentials like clean socks to those struggling with homelessness. He even put on a TV show for kids amid the pandemic and took his peace bus to the southern border to speak with border patrol, and those impacted by immigration policies. Most recently, he turned The Peace Bus into a "Peace Sleigh" and delivered Christmas gifts to children around Tacoma.
Now, Amoah-Forson is on a journey to bring a little peace to the nation's capitol; a mission he calls "Manifest Humanity." Amoah-Forson will travel to Washington D.C. in an effort to meet with President Joe Biden to discuss ideas on how to bring the nation together.
Ahead of his long journey, Amoah-Forson stopped by schools in Tacoma to talk about his mission.
"I'm headed out on a journey of a lifetime," Amoah-Forson told a small crowd of kids at Annie-Wright on Friday. "To try to meet with Biden to have the most important conversation, but also educate ourselves on what peace means."
Along the way, he'll be handing out books to kids that cover aspects of kindness, love, togetherness and empathy but also tackle more complex subjects like poverty, homelessness, racism and justice, according to The Peace Bus website. He is working with politicians and senators to arrange stops from state to state.
"You know, peace is a very important subject, I would go on to say it's the most important subject," he said. "Why can't we talk about it even more?"
"If we can have conversations about peace and make it a subject, I think we'll be better off as a community. How can we give? How can we love? How can we come together? This is a message for all people, and if we can start with the youth, maybe they'll have a heart to help each other, and the passion to come together as one," he said.
Amoah-Forson is accepting book donations before he heads out on his journey. To donate, people are encouraged to buy a book from his list and drop it off at a Tacoma Public Library location or the Elliot Bay Book Company or contribute to his GoFundMe.