Mothers play a significant role every day in the privacy of their homes. They nurture future leaders with their care on a daily basis. Some Chicago moms are taking their roles to a whole new level by taking it to the streets.
A group of Chicago moms, volunteers of a group known as Mothers Against Senseless Killings, are doing their part to put an end to senseless killings in their neighborhood. The volunteers from Englewood, a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, marched through the neighborhood throughout the long July 4th weekend. They wore bright pink shirts.
It may not seem like much to the onlooker, but the march had an undeniable positive effect on the neighborhood. The long July 4th holiday weekend is known to be a violent weekend with shootings. The previous year had seen at least 10 people shot, three of whom died. This year’s holiday was uncharacteristically peaceful. No shootings were reported throughout the weekend.
The group’s efforts coupled with those of the district’s police officers and other community groups ensured that peace was upheld throughout the weekend. “When you treat people like people, they start to act like people again and not like animals,” says group leader Tamar Manasseh. “Children begin to act like the children they are and put down their guns. People don’t get shot.”
Tamar Manasseh started the group on June 29th. She called the mothers of the neighborhood together to march in an effort to prevent retaliatory shooting in the neighborhood for the shooting of Lucille Barnes. Barnes, 34, died as a result of the bullet wounds.
“We will continue our march right through to Labor Day,” says Manasseh. This is when the Safe Passage neighborhood program for the public schools in Chicago resumes.
Although Manasseh lives in Bronzeville, she grew up in Englewood and continues to be active in the community. The group is steadily growing as they receive more media attention. “We started out as a trickle,” recalls Manasseh, “But the number of volunteers keeps growing. We are not just an organization. We are a people-driven movement. Movements grow. Movements need people to grow. Anyone can do this.”
Many in the community commend the mothers and the effort they are making to keep the neighborhood safe for all. Residents were surprised at how peaceful the neighborhood was throughout the long holiday weekend.
