South Side anti-violence march hopes to connect with 1K boys and teens of color

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An anti-violence march on the South Side Saturday has the goal of reaching 1,000 boys and teens of color.

They hope to bring young people together, connect them to resources, and prevent crime in the community.

The group Brilliance and Excellence wants to start the summer the right way, and this march is just the beginning.

From basketball courts to neighborhood playgrounds, local teens got the word out about the Brilliance and Excellence march.

The group lost one of their own to gun violence last year.

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"Seandell Holliday, was shot at the bean last year around this time. So we said, we need to do something to get ahead of our summer," said Vondale Signleton of Brilliance and Excellence. "There's enough stories around carjackings, and shootings and murders and violent crime, but we want to get on the preventative side."

Saturday's one mile march will start near 39th and King Drive and conclude at Mandrake Park. Families are encouraged to register boys and young men of color on the Brilliance and Excellence website.

"We are absolutely 100% committed to this march not being the end of how we are engaging with these boys and young men of color," said Damien Howard of Brilliance and Excellence. "We want every young men to be registered, so that afterwards, we can call these phones and make sure they have mentors. We want to make sure they have jobs this summer. Our whole intent is to keep young men safe."

At the conclusion of the march, the group said they'll have representatives from city colleges, jobs and other mentor groups on hand.

"We do care about our Black boys and exposing them to the right side of what's out there and the potential that they can fulfill within themselves," said Jennifer Hill, who registered her son for the event.

"Think about your little brother or sister, you want them to be safe, right? Remember how you grew up in the city? We want to change that," said Phillip Jones, who registered himself and said there's no other place he'd rather be.

The march begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. The group said 500 boys and teens of color have already registered and they hope to double that by the start.