Marching for Peace at the MLK Academy of Social Justice

CJ, a first-grade student at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy of Social Justice, helped create a poster that says: “I’m Black and I’m Proud!” He says he completely agrees with his poster’s message. It was created for the school’s annual Peace Rally and March, a demonstration of the King school community’s commitment to social justice.

Even before the rally began, students participated in a variety of activities to help set the stage. In addition to creating posters, they covered the sidewalk in front of their school with affirming messages using chalk and played trivia games about Black heroes. 

The rally was a big success! All of King’s students played a role in engaging their school around important social justice issues. Two seventh-graders, Machila and Zaniyah, shared a lyrical analysis of the song “Strange Fruit.” And students also showed off their social justice dance to “Rooted” by Ciara and Ester Dean.

After the rally, it was time to march. Led by the Butler College Prep drumline, students and staff walked around Englewood showing off their posters and lifting their voices together to chant messages about peace. 

“Put down the guns, we wanna have fun!” 

“Give us life, not death. We want our breath!”

“You see what we see, and we don’t want to see it no more. Stop the violence!” 

Check out more pictures from the event below.