Manifesting Humanity with Kwabi Amoah-Forson's Peace Bus

Kwabi Amoah-Forson is a man on a mission. If you live in the Tacoma area you have no doubt spied his baby blue, 1988 Mitsubishi bus cruising the streets. It’s hard to miss with “Peace Bus” emblazoned on the side.

Photo courtesy of Chris Daniels. IG: @ ChrisDanielsArt

When asked what inspired this journey, Amoah-Forson replied “The discordance, the division that we’ve witnessed, in the past certainly, but in 2020 more than ever, has left us feeling as polarized as ever. This sort of inflamed nature that we’re seeing currently, it’s been inspiring me to use my own platform to mend us together. To create a new movement embedded in understanding.”

“When I was growing up, my mom did a really good job of educating me and my brother on leaders. Especially on leaders of color who work in the community in order to better the country from Martin Luther King to Thurgood Marshall, Bayard Rustin, people like that who really inspired to do good work.” Attending grad school for business, doing his thing, but still feeling unfulfilled Kwabi began to ask himself, “why am I here?” and after reaching out to an old professor of his for guidance he came

away with the advice “Try to figure out who you want to be. Not what you want to be.”

At the base level for me as an individual I love seeing different people of different walks of life, different creeds, different races, different religions, coming together for a good cause. It puts goosebumps on my arms. So that’s what I’ve dedicated my life towards.

He said, “At the base level for me as an individual I love seeing different people of different walks of life, different creeds, different races, different religions, coming together for a good cause. It puts goosebumps on my arms. So that’s what I’ve dedicated my life towards.”

While contemplating the quest to connect with President Biden, Kwabi woke up one morning with Jonny Appleseed on his mind. The legend of a pioneer apple farmer, planting seeds to create abundance. Why couldn’t he do the same with peace? “We can plant the seed and as they grow older children would have a heart to help each other and have more of a culture of peace.”

With this in mind, he curated a Peace Reading List that includes titles for all ages, from toddlerhood to college-aged readers with special attention to themes like poverty, community, culture and others that encompass inclusivity and understanding, as Amoah-Forson says, “Understanding is the bedrock of peace. Us setting aside our differences, or better yet having respect for our differences and coming together.”

Photo courtesy of Chris Daniels. IG: @ ChrisDanielsArt

Those interested in supporting the vision can make monetary donations online on the Peace Bus Go Fund Me Page or by selecting a book or two and having it delivered directly to the Peace Bus PO Box prior to their departure. August 22 launches the Manifest Humanity campaign with a going away gathering happening here in the south sound prior to the Peace Bus embarking on its 27 day

voyage to Washington DC.

Side note: the Peace Bus is also on the lookout for host families along the way, who may be interested in opening their homes up for the Peace Bus squad to rest their weary heads along the way. If this might be you, Kwabi encourages you to reach out!

I’ll close with a little motivational thought from Amoah-Forson, “We can never downplay the importance of giving to people because it is always something we can do.”

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Brooks Dental Studio is energized to support The Peace Bus and Kwabi's Manifest Humanity Campaign through the ongoing Duggan, Brooks & Books partnership. Learn more about the project and how you can be part of it here.