The basics

What is the National Pilgrimage?

The National Pilgrimage is a four-week journey across America from June 9 through July 9, 2026 — a sacred road trip through the soul and the shadows of this country in its 250th year. We begin near Rochester, New York, in Haudenosaunee territory, the birthplace of democracy, and we land in Chicago, the city of broad shoulders, in the heart of the nation. We are not protesting and we are not campaigning. We are on a pilgrimage, with a attitude of reckoning, lament, and surrender as we explore our nation's purpose, our civil rights history, and Indigenous origins. We are on a journey to this land and the heartbreak and dreams of those who tend to it.
The pilgrimage culminates in the National Assembly (July 6th and 7th, 5-8pm PT) , where thousands of Americans will dream a new moral vision for the next 250 years. It's free, online, and needs your voice.

Why do we need a National Pilgrimage and Assembly?

Nations need a unifying story, identity, and shared values. Our nation lost that story after the Cold War. The division and violence we are experiencing now is a result of the loss of a shared national identity. America turns 250 this year, and the official observance is going to be tone-deaf at best. We are not going to mark this moment with hot dogs, a war parade, and UFC fight on the South Lawn. A 250th birthday is a critical threshold, and the country is asking something of us. We are answering with humility, honesty, and hope instead of performative pageantry.

Who is organizing this?

The pilgrimage was imagined by Brandon Peele and his team of organizers, journalists, facilitators, and creative collaborators with deep roots in civic life, men's and women's circle work, and storytelling. We are politically and religiously diverse. Several of us did not vote the same way in the last election. That is the point.

Covenant, constitution, and what's actually broken

What is the difference between a covenant and a constitution?

A covenant is the joining of two or more souls to a singular destiny. Examples are a blood oath and our Mayflower Compact. The latter involved the pledging of individual lives to a shared vision and values, such that each person works toward the benefit of the commonwealth over their personal benefit, glory, or wealth.
A constitution is the explicit written formalization of the rights and responsibilities required to fulfill the covenant. Culture and covenant always precede contract and constitution.
What's needed now is a new covenant, a new moral vision to bind 330 million souls into one (e pluribus unum).

What is the history of our national covenant?

The covenant, the moral vision of democracy, was first conceived in the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace 1000-1450CE. The convent that we had to establish colonies, the Mayflower Compact (1620), was and first brought to life as contract in the Massachusetts Body of Liberties in 1641. The covenant was broken after the Civil Rights Act of 1965. Binding the destiny of white and Black souls was a step too far for many of us. This “last straw” resulted in the unwinding of that act in practice (as well as the broader New Deal and Great Society). We de-funded public institutions through tax cuts and stood up private, white-only institutions — schools, neighborhoods, country clubs, and began a $79T wealth transfer from the bottom 90% to the top 1% (RAND, 2025).

What is the history of our Constitution?

In 1787, our framers tried to stand up a democracy with only two of the three requisite legs of the farmer's stool. We pledged ourselves to the idea of equality (the first leg) and promised to deliver a political-economy to ensure that all had what they needed to experience the fullness of life, liberty, and happiness (the second leg). But we omitted to ensure the moral, psychological, and spiritual practices required to create the developmental adults democracy requires (the third leg).
The current contract, our Constitution, while old, rickety, and full of holes — held until last year, before it was nullified. All three branches of the federal government now openly and enthusiastically work against the singular purpose of the United States: to make us less equal, healthy, free, and happy.

So how does the Pilgrimage and Assembly address our broken covenant and nullified Constitution?

The purpose of the National Pilgrimage and Assembly is to offer the residents of the United States an honest, humble, and hopeful way to engage with the 250th birthday of the nation.
To fulfill this purpose, we are going on the road to explore the soul and shadows of the nation. During the last week of the pilgrimage, we will host the National Assembly to dream a new moral vision, a new covenant, for the next chapter. With this new moral vision, we can each take our vows to our shared destiny, and then the real work begins.

The route

Where exactly are you going?

We begin near Rochester, New York, the birthplace of democracy on this continent, and travel through the Civil Rights trail to the south, then venture north and west into Lakota Territory and Yellowstone, before heading east to Minneapolis and Chicago.
You can view the full route and download a detailed agenda at nationalpilgrimage.us/route--logistics.html.
Major stops include Philadelphia (Liberty Bell, Constitution Center), Harpers Ferry, the Black Hills, Yellowstone (to honor the bison herds remembering their ancient migratory pathways), the 150th anniversary of Little Bighorn, Pine Ridge, and Minneapolis. We are largely staying clear of the coasts, and exploring the sacred heart of the country.

Why didn't you start in Plymouth Rock or the East Coast colonies?

Because democracy on this continent did not start in 1620 with the Mayflower Compact or in 1776 with powdered wigs in Philadelphia. The Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace, a working democracy across six nations with different cosmologies, economies, and topographies, predates European arrival by hundreds of years. Locke and Rousseau didn't invent the ideas of liberty and equality. They repackaged what was already alive on this land and sold it back to the colonies.
We start where the council fires were lit thousands of years ago, because that is the true heritage of American democracy.

The National Assembly

What is the National Assembly?

The National Assembly is a free, virtual gathering open to every voting-age adult in the nation. In partnership with the platform Synanim, participants are placed in small groups of six to answer the questions we have been asking on the road: What are our most cherished values? What kind of country do we want to leave for our children? What would need to be true for this to be a great place to raise children?
Over the course of the Assembly, our nation workshop a new moral vision and read it aloud in Chicago on July 9th.

When is the National Assembly?

The virtual sessions are on the evenings of July 6 and July 7, 2026, from 5–8 p.m. PT. 

What will the Assembly produce?

Three things. We will generate a shared moral vision — a document to be read live on July 9 in Chicago. We will develop a moral inventory of the United States, drawn from the data of the Synanim process. And we will have a large, diverse community of engaged citizens to continue this much-needed work after the road ends.

Can I take part if I can't travel?

Yes. The National Assembly is the part of this that belongs to everyone. Sign up and we will tell you how to participate remotely from wherever you are.

Why a moral vision and not a policy platform?

Because policy lives downstream of moral imagination. Every major democracy in the world has rewritten its constitution. France has done it fifteen times. We are still working is version 1. Before we can argue about the how, we need to remember the why. This story should not be told by political scientists or coastal elites or politicians. It should be told by us.

Joining the pilgrimage

How can I join the National Pilgrimage?

You can join the pilgrimage on the road by applying at nationalpilgrimage.us/join.html. You can join for the whole journey or just part of it. You can also follow the pilgrimage virtually on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

How do I actually participate if I'm coming on the road?

Get your car tuned up, fill the tank, pack a cooler, bug spray, and camping gear, and meet us in Rochester. You can join for the whole four weeks, just the northern leg, just the southern leg, or just the gathering in Chicago. Renting a car from Enterprise in Rochester runs around two thousand dollars. Plan for roughly three to four thousand for gas, campsites, and food across the full pilgrimage.

Do I need to be a certain kind of person to come?

No. We are not looking for the already-converted. We are not looking for people who have memorized the founding documents or taken a blood oath to democracy. We will meet you where you are.
If you have a driver's license, a working car, and a willingness to sit with hard questions, you qualify.

Is this only for mothers?

No. The film and the campaign do center on mothers because mothers are the fabric this country has been leaning on, and that fabric is stretched too thin. But this pilgrimage is for fathers, for single dads, for elders, for young people, for veterans, for grandparents, for anyone who feels the weight of this moment and wants to put their shoulder to it. If you have ever felt called to leave this country a little better than you found it, you are who we are looking for.

Will children be on the journey?

Yes. The Buffo family — Mike, Brittney, and their three sons (ages 13, 11, and 7) — will be on the road documenting the journey. Other families are welcome. Part of what we are doing is making sure children get to witness this moment, not just hear about it later.

What should I bring?

A car or RV. Camping gear. A cooler. Bug spray. Comfortable clothes you don't mind getting dirty. Patience. An open heart for hard conversations. Money for gas, food, and campsite fees, etc. A willingness to be uncomfortable, to sweat, to eat different food than you usually do, and to sleep in places you wouldn't normally sleep.
This is not a luxury coastal retreat. There is no spa. There will be mosquitoes. That is part of the pilgrimage.

The harder questions

How is this going to go wrong?

A lot of it already has, and we have pivoted. Our Indiegogo campaign was rejected because it was deemed “politically and religiously agitating” — which, honestly, made us feel seen. We are loving this country back together and that requires lots of religious, moral, and political imagination.
Things will go sideways on the road. Plans will change. Weather will not cooperate. People will drop out. The country itself may shift under our feet between June and July. We are committing to one thing: we will shoot a film, and we will hold the National Assembly. Everything else, we will meet as it comes.

How are you going to convince people who don't think like you?

We are not in the convincing business. We are in the listening and loving business.
Most people, when they're with their own — their family, their faith community, their racial or political tribe — already operate on a kind of gentle communalism. If you need it, I've got you. The trouble starts when we step outside that circle and start treating each other like opponents to outmaneuver. Our position is that the line between extraction and care runs through every human heart. All of us are conflicted between the two. None of us is purely on either side.
So we are not trying to flip anyone's vote. We are inviting people back to the questions underneath the politics: Who are we to each other? What do we owe each other? What kind of country do we want to leave behind?

How do you reach people who aren't already in the room?

By going where they are. We are deliberately not staying on the coasts. We are moving through the center of the country, partnering with local radio, local newspapers, local television, and local communities at every stop. We are talking to mothers, fathers, farmers, teachers, veterans, young people, and elders who remember another time. We are building a media plan with national outlets — PBS, NPR, and others — but the heart of the outreach is town by town.
We are also actively recruiting voices from across the political spectrum. If you have ideas — comedians, faith leaders, conservatives, organizers — who should be on this trip, we want to hear from you.

Is this politically left or right?

Neither. We are not talking about electoral politics or what type of government grants are coming next. We are talking about first principles. What the heck are we doing here? What is the purpose of this country?
If we can answer that together, the politics gets easier. As Nietzsche said, if you have a why, you can endure almost any how.

How will you make sure the voices you capture are not just the loudest or the most resourced?

This is one of the most important questions we have been asked, and it is one we are actively designing for. Synanim, the platform we are using for the National Assembly, was built specifically to elevate quieter and minority voices using its algorithm — not to amplify whoever shouts the most. On the road, we will be intentional about whose stories get camera time, prioritizing people for whom showing up at all is a risk. The film will not be a highlight reel of confident speakers. It will be a portrait of who is actually carrying this country.

Are religious leaders involved?

Yes, and carefully. We are wary of conventional institutional religious endorsement and politicized faith leaders, but we are deeply welcoming of people whose faith — across traditions — has shaped how they show up for one another. We are in conversation with the Interfaith Council and the Faith  Public Life networks. The vast majority of pilgrims joining us are already oriented toward the ties that bind, regardless of what they call the source of those ties.

Is Brandon the leader?

No. He'll be the first to tell you. He is not the spotless figurehead of this movement, and he doesn't want to be. This pilgrimage is a team — politically diverse, religiously diverse, generationally diverse. He is shepherding it to its next stage. Then it belongs to all of us.

The film

Who is making the documentary?

House of 8 Media — Mike Buffo (director) and Brittney Buffo (writer) — are making the film. Mike’s last documentary, Condor Canyon, is airing nationally on PBS. The Buffo family is traveling as one vehicle in the convoy and serving as the documentary crew.

When will the film come out?

We are releasing weekly YouTube episodes during the pilgrimage itself, daily Instagram Stories/Reels from the road, and a feature-length (90-minute) documentary after the journey is complete. ​

Can I be in the film?

If you join the pilgrimage on the road or at the National Assembly, very possibly yes — with your consent every step of the way.

How to support

Where does my contribution go?

Your contribution puts pilgrims on the road. It funds the convoy, the cameras, the National Assembly platform, and the team capturing every mile. It funds gas, campsites, RVs, equipment, and the production work that turns thirty days of travel into a film that will outlive the trip itself.
Every dollar matters. Sharing the campaign matters just as much.

How else can I help?

Tell people. Especially the ones with resources. Especially the ones who think this country is worth fighting for. Send the link, post about it, forward the email, talk about it at your dinner table. The most valuable thing you can give us, after dollars, is a personal recommendation to someone who hasn't heard of this yet.
Reach out through nationalpilgrimage.us if you want to talk one-on-one about becoming an executive producer or sponsoring a leg of the journey.

One more thing

What is this really about?

Love. That is it. We want to walk in love and in beauty, and we are tired of everything that isn't that — and unfortunately, that is most of it. We want the village back. We want the aunties and the uncles and the besties and the council fires and the sense that we belong to each other. The science is clear: we only need about thirty percent of the labor, resources, and energy we currently use for all 8.5 billion of us on this planet to thrive — not just survive. The math works. The vision works. What's missing is the will, and the will is what we are gathering this summer.
This is urgent love. Not passive love. Not “the country is broken and someone should fix it.” The act of loving is the urgent, radical, necessary work.
Come with us. Let's love this country back together.

Have a question we didn't answer? Reach out at nationalpilgrimage.us — we'll add it here.