The Black Lives Matter movement takes another step forward this weekend with the R.I.P. March, a North Side procession designed with family participation in mind.
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Organized by a trio of parents, the march — declared “safe for all ages” — will begin at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Rosehill Cemetery at Western and Bryn Mawr avenues, concluding at the Chicago Police Department at 5400 N. Lincoln Ave. According to the Facebook invitation, the event is intended to make multiple statements, from a protest against the excessive force used by some police officers to a call for peace, both for “the needlessly slain and for all police officers.”
“As educators, we encourage students to be aware of human-rights issues, and if they have questions, try not to shield them from the answers,”Pam Lozano told us. A St. Louis native who moved to Chicago in 2008, Lozano is the parent of a 3-year-old and the athletic director at Rogers Park Montessori School. She planned the event along with her brother, Darren Bell (also an RPMS employee), and another parent, Fred Sasaki, whose son attends the school. She discussed the R.I.P. March in an email exchange; the following is an edited transcript.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of the R.I.P. March?
A: Darren and Fred had been having conversations for months about all of the events leading up to some of the peaceful protests, news coverage, looting and riots in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City and other cities around the U.S. They had been feeling increasingly sad and angry about all of the events and decisions that were made in the wake of these continual killings of African-American men, and they did not want to have these conversations without doing something active themselves to express how deeply this affects them. They brought this idea of the march to me to help with organizing.
Q: Have you heard any concerns from people about the message this might send to kids about police officers?
A: Some people have given us some push-back. They fear that the content of the march might be too aggressive and may instill fear of the ones meant to protect us. I think it’s important to realize that every child is not sheltered. This is the age of technology, and if they want to find and inform themselves they will and can do it regardless of whether we want them to or not. We all felt pretty strongly that framing the conversations about real-life events and having conversations about these issues is not putting fear in their hearts, but opening their eyes and giving them the forum to ask questions and better understand what is affecting many lives of students their ages.
Q: How can the marchhelp kids learn about racism and other forms of discrimination?
A: We are going to hand out some stories about community and about ripples (the idea that when people stand up against injustice or to help others, they send forth ripples of hope).Some of the wording used in these little stories will serve as a starting point for parents to explain some powerful issues to their families.
Q: The march is happening in a largely white neighborhood on the North Side. Is that a conscious choice, or is it simply because it’s close to the school that the organizers’ kids attend?
A: I see it as an opportunity to show this community that this march affects their neighbors, co-workers, families. It doesn’t need to happen downtown or the exact point where a person is gunned down to make an impact. This march could easily happen in any community and the point would be the same: to raise awareness and build community.
Q: Will there be speeches Sunday?
A: Everyone will come together to hear a poem that will kick off the march from the cemetery. From there, we will have signs and songs and chants that will lead us to the nearest police station. We do not intend to directly engage the police officers who will be on duty, but want our presence to speak for itself. We will continue to sing and say a few words to draw the march to a close. Before we all leave, everyone will share a moment of silence to reflect on the lives that have been lost and are continually put in jeopardy every day.
For more details about the R.I.P. March, go to facebook.com/events/1592711454296050.