A state senator is spending the days leading up to and including the weekend walking from Dayton to Columbus. And it’s not because he can’t drive from his home district to work in the state’s Capitol.
Sen. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) is walking a 107-mile trek from his home in Dayton to the Statehouse for one reason: “I’ve been thinking about doing it for a long time. I like walking. But specifically, I wanted to walk for a particular issue.”
The issue he chose is to raise awareness for mental health needs, especially among kids. It's something Blackshear has talked about publicly before. He's sponsored Senate Bill 330, which would allow K-12 students to take mental health days off from school. It was introduced in November with three Democratic co-sponsors, and had one hearing in February.
Blackshear took off from Dayton Thursday morning after a kickoff with supporters. “We mapped it out. It’s going to take four days," he said.
Blackshear said he was inspired by former state lawmaker Eric Kearney, who walked from Cincinnati to the Statehouse to raise awareness for asthma in 2014. Blackshear expects to arrive at his Statehouse office in Columbus on Monday.
