Amani Youth March to End Violence Annual Amani Youth Council event is planned and organized by teens, held each year to honor violence victim Mekaila Baskerville
On July 30, The Amani Youth Council led a march to end violence, filling Amani streets with chants for peace. The reason for the march? Simple: to save the lives of young people in Milwaukee. “I’ve seen a lot of kids get hurt, or get shot, or in jail,” said MyKing Westmoreland, a 13-year-old member of AYC. “I don’t want that to happen any- more, that’s why I’m here.” The march is held each year on July 30, which is Mekaila Baskerville’s birthday. Mekaila was an Amani youth and a violence victim. Her mother, Regina Williams joined the march and spoke to the crowd. “We need to address some needs in our neighbor- hood with our youth. And that we’re attempting to do so. We have to start somewhere by having con-
versations,” she said. “Letting young people know that they can start young is the beginning of pre- vention of other things that can happen later on.” Joining the AYC were partners Dominican Cen- ter, Amani United, MPD Dist. 5, Ex Fabula, Safe & Sound, COA and State Rep. Kalan Haywood. The Amani Youth Council has been active in Ama- ni this summer, offering several activities for resi- dents of all ages. In addition to the group’s annual March Against Gun Violence, they held bi-weekly “Fun Friday” events at Moody Park, a monthly Entrepreneur Showcase, their annual 3 on 3 Bas- ketball Tournament, and they started a business producing health and beauty products made from plants found in Amani.
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