“We cannot ignore the fact that African Americans kill other African Americans every day,” said James Clark, vice president of Community Outreach for Better Family Life Inc.
He was explaining the need for The MOVE, a new citizen response to the issue of crime and violence ravaging African-American communities in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The MOVE is orchestrating a two-day event that involves what Clark considers very influential members of the community: the young men and women who reside where most of the violence occurs. The goal of The MOVE is to inspire change in troubled neighborhoods and to challenge the youth to get involved in activism.
A Reflection and Re-Generation Reception will take place 6-8 p.m. March 24 at the Better Family Life (BFL) Cultural Center, located at 5415 Page Blvd. The reception will feature families mourning and reflecting on the loss of loved ones.
The second event is a march beginning at 11 a.m. March 25 from Beckett Park, at North Taylor Avenue and Page Boulevard, to the BFL Cultural Center, with assembly for the march starting at 9:30 a.m. At Beckett Park, there will be a community gathering and remarks about “turning to, not on each other.” After the march, there will be a “Now is the Time for Change” community rally.
Clark said each family from St. Louis and East St. Louis, Ill. that has lost a loved one to gun violence going back to 2013 has received a personal invitation to the events via a phone call. Families who attend the events are encouraged to wear T-shirts and bring signs featuring pictures of their deceased loved ones.
Clark noted a recent push for external accountability, calling out the educational system, politicians and, most notably, police officers, but he said the focus also needs to be turned inward.
“When we talk about crime and violence, we need an internal accountability that we place on each other,” Clark said.
The MOVE particularly targets African-American men. The organizers believe that men should be challenged to address and change the culture of violence that is holding many of their loved ones and peers captive. “We’re the only ones who can heal each other,” Clark said.
Yet Clark said The MOVE is a broad coalition that cuts across the varying social and economic strata of African Americans.
“Every African-American scholar, politician and even president must be called to the issue of how we disrespect each other every day, how we rob each other every day, and how we kill each other every day,” Clark said.
“Once we start loving each other again, we will be unstoppable.”
For more information, call James Clark at (314) 381-8200 or (314) 378-4026.
Tashan Reed is an editorial intern for The St. Louis American from the University of Missouri.
