CHATHAM — Men of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will march against violence Saturday.
The 1 p.m. march will begin at 79th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue and end at 79th and Calumet Avenue where participants will have a rally.
The men are calling members of other fraternities and sororities to join them, along with the residents, civic and church leaders, elected officials and business owners. They want the violence to stop, saying that it's destroying neighborhoods, killing children and eliminating the future of so many young people.
“We have always been in the forefront against issues that have plagued our communities and hindered the growth of people in this country, and this march is no different,” James Ramos, one of the organizers of the march and member of the fraternity, said in a news release.
The goals of the march are to support the fight against violence, call for the revitalization of 79th Street, increase the efforts for improving the education landscape of the city, and to formulate an economic empowerment plan of action.
“Like I said before, we cannot sit back and stand on the sidelines and watch our young men destruct themselves," said the Rev. Roosevelt Watkins, also a march organizer and fraternity member. "It is important that we do our part to help our communities."
Members of the fraternity have joined in demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., and at the University of Missouri. They believe in empowering communities and fighting for change, they said.
“We are firm believers that lives matter, and we want to show the people and businesses on 79th Street that the men of Alpha Phi Alpha care,” said Danny Mason, another march organizer and fraternity member.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
