| CHICAGO, IL – Today at 2:00 PM, Chicago youth of all backgrounds will gather at the Pavilion in Millennium Park, in Chicago, for a silent sit in and march in response to the recent recorded acts of police brutality that resulted in the deaths of Alton Sterling and Phillando Castille. The youth will all stand in solidarity with the Black community, the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the families of those who have lost their lives to police brutality and gun violence. Police brutality and the gun violence that plagues Chicago both go hand in hand, in that they are systemic issues. The youth will unite to shine light on both issues, to show how much they care about the effects they will have on their generation and the next.
“There are no words to describe the sadness and hurt I feel for the lives that continue to be lost to gun violence and police brutality everyday. My heart breaks for the families of Alton Sterling, Phillando Castille, as well as those of the police officers who lost their lives in Dallas, that have now fallen victim to this seemingly never ending cycle of hatred and destruction. As youth in one of the most violent cities in this country, we need to take action.” says Sophia Byrd, a seventeen year old organizer of the protest.
“I read about this type of injustice in history books, never thinking I’d be on the frontline of my generation’s own civil rights movement. Seeing history repeat itself has been awfully discouraging, but I have faith in the power of youth coming together in the face of adversary. We have to stop being content, and start being actively unsatisfied with the way things are. We have to keep saying Black Lives Matter, because society has shown it thinks otherwise. It is important that we stop remaining silent in times of injustice, because silence is permissive, and we cannot permit this cycle to continue any longer.” says Eva Lewis, a seventeen year old organizer of the protest.
The protest aims to break the divide between communities, and bring youth from all areas of Chicago in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. The goals are for their initiatives and passions as young people to catch the eye of politicians and judges, who have the power to indict the officers responsible. Breaking the cycle of officers getting away with injustice is crucial to eradicating systemic oppression towards Black people, as well as other communities of color. Also, they aim for their collective voices to eliminate the ‘othering’ of the Black Lives Matter movement in the media. Lastly, they demand validation that Black Lives Matter, and more political representation when dealing with these cases, so that justice will always be served.
Organizers:
Natalie Braye, age 17
nataliebraye916@gmail.com
773-575-7314
Sophia Byrd, age 17
songbyrd1999@gmail.com
773-630-0366
Eva Lewis, age 17
emlewis98@gmail.com
773-610-3825
Maxine Wint, age 16
Maxine.wint0107@gmail.com
773-575-5426
For updates: follow #BLMChiYouth on Twitter and visit the event’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1070487246373011 |
