A Powerful Peace March, Student Leadership in Action

Diana Founder and President
Published: June 9, 2015

Student Leadership in Action

Dear Perspectives family,

On Friday, June 5th, nearly 3,000 Perspectives students, family members, staff, and community leaders held one of the largest student-led peace marches in the city's history. Groups came out to join the march from schools, churches, and businesses in Chicago, the suburbs, and cities from throughout the country.

Our students' voices are being heard: the march was featured on dozens of news outlets including Fox32, ABC7, CBS2, WGNTV, Univision Chicago and WBEZ Morning Shift...

We also had dozens of local leaders standing for peace with our students. Mayor Rahm Emanuel kicked off the peace march at 24th and speakers at our Peace Jam following the march included:

Razia, Janeya, & Maurice and Perspectives students and alumni
Tom Wilson, chairman and CEO of Allstate
Alderman Pat Dowell, 3rd Ward alderman
State Rep. Ken Dunkin, 5th District representative
Pastor James Meeks, Salem Baptist Church
Pastor Charles Jenkins, Fellowship Chicago
Matt McGill, WVON Radio Personality
FM Supreme, humanitarian rap artist

The march would not have been possible without the support of AAR Corp. chairman and CEO David Storch and Rags of Honor, who provided the "I Am For Peace" t-shirts for all 3,000 marchers, and Ice Mountain Water, which provided 3,000 bottles of water the marchers.

We continue to move forward with the peace movement. For example, Perspectives will:

Host our first Peace and Leadership Camps this summer, where students will learn how to take our 26 principles of A Disciplined Life and apply them to community organizing and social justice activism.
Offer a Peace and Leadership Elective class next school year for students who want to amplify our message of peace through A Disciplined Life.
Begin a partnership with the U.S. Institute of Peace, and will be their Chicago partner for the International Day of Peace in September, including hosting a peace summit in our schools.
Continue to share A Disciplined Life and the I Am For Peace documentary film with other schools in Chicago and beyond.

Thank you to everyone who came out to march with us, and to everyone in the Perspectives family who is standing for peace. Together, we can create a more peaceful Chicago--and a more peaceful world!

Peace,

Diana
Founder and President

Keywords: Peace, Perspectives Charter Schools, Youth Activism