The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago hosted an MLK Day Celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of nonviolence and equity.
At the organization’s Austin office, thought leaders, advocates and community members gathered Jan. 11 to spotlight efforts in community violence intervention through public health, policy reform and direct outreach.
The celebration featured a panel discussion about violence prevention, intervention and redemption strategies that have advanced public health, gun violence reduction and reform. The conversation highlighted King’s vision of a peaceful society, achieved in Chicago through collaboration.
Panelists included Pulitzer Prize-winning author Laurence Ralph; Chief Strategy and Policy Officer of Chicago CRED Susan Lee; Surgeon and Founding Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center Selwyn Rogers; and Lead Outreach Specialist of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago Marcus Simpson, who is based in Austin.
When the panel discussed themes of respect within street culture, Simpson explained how the work of the outreach team is to provide respect by embracing the humanity of the community, seeing their needs and offering tangible means to choose nonviolence.
“What’s higher than a god?” Simpson said, explaining to the audience how a desire for respect can be a motivation for violence.
After the panel, Lee was honored with Nonviolence Chicago’s first Beloved Community Builder award for her groundbreaking work in changing systems and public safety. Based on Chicago’s South Side, Lee has spent more than 25 years in policy development, public safety reform and strategic planning. Her role in creating the blueprint for Los Angeles’ approach to violence has been adopted in Chicago, as well as other cities across the country.
Finally, the MLK Day Celebration event included an interactive community art project, facilitated by muralist Eric Harold, an artist from Logan Square who founded the Chicago Creative Initiative. To participate in the mural, event attendees contributed creative expressions of their ideas of unity, peace and nonviolence.
