A MARCH FOR HOPE: LOVE HAS TRIUMPHED OVER HATRED (2 of 2)

Last Friday, Good Friday, I participated in two Good Friday marches that touched my soul deeply. Friday evening, over 400 people in my neighborhood gathered at Gesu Catholic Church for two reasons: to honor our neighbor, Terrance Berg, a federal judge, who had been shot and wounded by two men a month ago and to take part in a walk for hope—a walk against violence.

Over and over, many families in the area had proclaimed that there is much more to Detroit than just violence. The hundreds who gathered at this event were determined to change the culture of violence one step at a time. The spirit of the gathering clearly manifested community: a community of love and unity and a community committed to peaceful streets.

Before the one mile walk commenced, our neighbor, Judge Berg (still in a wheelchair) spoke of ideas to change the culture of violence: more jobs and job training; better education systems for our children-especially teenage boys. “If we don’t improve our education system, we can’t fight gun violence.”

As people walked silently up and down Livernois Street numerous signs and peace flags were carried. After the walk, prayer and song continued in the church. Many petitions were raised including:

“Help us love our enemies not by considering their sins, but by remembering our own. Help us to remember that we are all fed by the same food, hurt by the same weapons and yearn for our children and their future."

"Help us build safe havens where opportunities to nurture the gifts and talents of our youth instill hope, security, creativity and reverence for life. Let us build a compassionate city, a restorative city gradually replacing violence with civil discourse, patience and hope for the long road ahead. May we give our next generations reason for hope. We ask this in God’s name. Amen.”

How appropriate that on Good Friday and the beginning of Passover, so many voices
were raised for our city to be liberated from the scourge of gun violence.

Author: Sister Nancyann Turner
Capuchin Soup Kitchen Rosa Parks Children Program Manager