Tonight (June 3) at 5:30 PM Greenwood neighbors plan to hold another peaceful gathering at the intersection of Greenwood Ave and 85th St. Katelyn Morris invites families to join in support of Black Lives Matter and anti-racism, “Bring your kids, bring your signs, bring your hearts, bring your energy and please wear your masks.”
See the events page for more details.
Katelyn Morris and her husband have been talking to their kids (ages 6 and 9) about the most recent events concerning police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. Their intention is to teach their kids to recognize that racism exists and to “stand up in whatever way is appropriate”.
In order to show her children what it means to be an ally to people of color, Morris is organizing demonstrations in her neighborhood. “I needed to show them that we were not complacent. We weren’t going to take our kids downtown, and we would not put them in harm’s way. But we know our neighborhood and we trust our friends. We knew demonstrating here in Greenwood would only bring good.”
After posting in her local neighborhood Facebook groups about her plans for a peaceful protest, Morris saw hundreds of people coming out to participate on Tuesday, June 2nd, and many children joining with their family. Morris explains that it was essential for her to offer many ways to participate in the protests. “It was important for us to make our demonstrations accessible, right here in our own neighborhood. You can walk up with no need to find parking; you can come for 10 minutes or 3 hours and you can stop off at our local restaurants to support them.” Morris was happy to see so many neighbors bringing their children to the rally, finding a way to show support for anti-racism. “We had cars honking, people yelling out their apartment windows, and people who didn’t know this was happening who joined us, as well.”
Cheering the words “Black Lives Matter” families held posters made by children offering support to their friends, people of color. “We had our kids make their own signs with their own messages and made sure that they wanted to go. We checked in on them when they were tired and hungry” and came home when they felt they needed it.
Morris shares, “It’s important to get family’s involved…We need to teach our children at a young age to be accepting and just. If enough of us young families do this, over time, racism will die out. It’s on parents to break the cycle of hate.”
