A mile in his shoes

By Jeremy Borden
Media General News Service

Paul Clay-Rooks doesn’t describe himself as a feminist or activist, or even particularly that involved.
Yet the 29-year-old seminary school graduate took a week to walk roughly 200 miles from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C., in protest of the brutal rapes and abuse that women continue to endure in the African country of Congo.
With a pack of supplies strapped to his back, sneakers on his feet and Blackberry in his pocket, Clay-Rooks started hiking up U.S. 29 North on March 1, the beginning of spring break at Randolph College where he is the first male resident director. After completing the walk and getting a rest over the weekend, he returned to Lynchburg Sunday night.
His friends and family were supportive — but they think he’s a little crazy, too.
“This was a gut response to a really serious problem,” Clay-Rooks said during a stop in Charlottesville last week.
Clay-Rooks swung into Charlottesville, where he has a brother at the University of Virginia and his girl-friend works at UVa.
Reached on his cell phone, cars could be heard rushing by as he trekked up U.S. 29.
“It’s a little freaky, as you can imagine,” he said. “I try when possible to walk along the sliver of pave-ment because (grass is) lopsided and it’s harder on my feet.”
At Christian’s Pizza on the Corner later on, Clay-Rooks was optimistic, as he talked about how the hard reality of his trip sunk in early on. But the sharp-looking and well-spoken Baltimore native was in obvious pain, limping precariously before sitting down to relish a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Clay-Rooks read a newspaper article last year that he said struck a nerve and prompted his trip, which he hopes will raise money for a vday.org project called “City of Joy.” The Oct. 7, New York Times story detailed some of the horrors that women in the Congo go through on a daily basis.
“Every day, 10 new women and girls who have been raped show up at his hospital,” the Times article says, talking about a Congolese gynecologist who sees what women there go through.
“Many have been so sadistically attacked from the inside out ... that their reproductive systems are be-yond repair,” the article stated.
Clay-Rooks knows there are plenty of atrocities to be concerned about. But what the women of the Congo are enduring is almost beyond belief, he said.
“There are things that are worse than death,” Clay-Rooks said.
Clay-Rooks’ goal: to walk about 30 miles per day and end his trip at a place of symbolic importance: the Lincoln Memorial, a site he feels embodies change and empowerment.
He had his Blackberry close at hand. It could chart his course on its GPS system and bring him seven or eight phone calls per day from friends and family urging him on. His brother would meet him at hotels at the end of the day to bring him supplies.
“Physically, there’s things you just can’t control with your body,” said Eric Rooks, Paul’s father, who lives in Newport News. “I told him I wish I could do it for him.”
Clay-Rooks said the little things help, such as the kids and drivers who wave as they drive pass.

Borden writes for The Daily Progress in Charlottesville and can be reached at jbor-den@dailyprogress.com.

Editor’s note: Paul Clay-Rooks stopped by The News & Advance on Monday after finishing his fundraising walk from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C., averaging 23 miles a day from Randolph College to the Lincoln Memorial, where he met family and friends. We had a few questions for him; the following is an edited transcript.

Any major mishaps?
(Laughs.) Every day felt like a major mishap. I think probably the worst day was Wednesday. I’d just finished walking for the day — I think it was in Fredericksburg. And at the end of the day, you’re just so out of it. I left my Blackberry in a barbecue joint. I just kind of panicked, not being able to talk to people and not being able to find my way around (without GPS). As fate would have it, my feet were so swollen the next morning, I couldn’t walk. (He took a couple of hours off to let his feet recover, then got his Blackberry and got back on the road.)
What about the drivers? Were they tough?
There was a noticeable difference when I got to Northern Virginia. I actually had to get off Route 1 because the drivers were going so fast and I couldn’t breathe because of the exhaust. (He ended up walking a bike path instead.)
What was the best moment?
It was one day when it was really, really nice. I was on Route 20 (between Charlottesville and Orange). I was just me and the rolling hills of Virginia. It was just the most peaceful moment.
Did you lose a lot of weight?
I lost 5 pounds.
Did you pick up any injuries? What’s the limp all about?
I have some pretty bad blisters.
How much money did you raise?
I have to get the final totals, but before I left, it was around $1,500 or $2,000.
Do you have a big sense of accomplishment?
Yeah. To be honest with you, I didn’t think I’d finish. When I hit the Lincoln Memorial, it was a little more emotional than I thought it would be. It was pretty amazing driving back to Lynchburg. I was like, “This car is a pretty cool thing. And just look at how far you’ve come.”
When you’re walking, everything moves so much slower. You get to see how beautiful everything is around you. Just get get a nuanced view of your world.