UCAN Closes Out Gun Violence Awareness Month with Roseland Peace Walk and Block Party

UCAN Chicago, in partnership with Chicago CRED, held a Peace Walk and Light in the Night event to close out Gun Violence Awareness Month on June 26, bringing together Community Violence Intervention (CVI) staff with supporters from the Roseland neighborhood for a powerful show of remembrance and strength.

The event was especially poignant after a recent mass shooting in the community, not far from where the Peace Walk set off down Michigan Avenue from 115^th Street.

Dr. Paviella Foster, UCAN’s Senior Vice President of Prevention and Empowerment Services, described the block where the walk began, stating, “It’s a block where we do see a lot of violence happen, a lot of activity. This is a space for us to show that we can come together and bring peace to the neighborhood.”

For Foster, Gun Violence Awareness Month isn’t just about paying respects to those lost to gun violence, but also to those who remain.

“We often talk about who we have lost, and we want to memorialize them and hold them in a special place, but there are a lot of victims who live,” she said. “I also honor the people who were impacted by violence and then give their lives back to supporting violence intervention and prevention.”

Looking forward, Foster said, “I’m looking for safety and peace. I’m looking for young people to live. I’m looking for CVI to be pushed to the forefront, so people know it matters and it works.”

Dr. Crystal Toran, Program Manager for UCAN’s Re-Entry and Youth Development initiatives, said the visibility of the walk is key to its impact on the neighborhood.

“We have to take a stance. We have to make our presence known. If we want the community behind us, we have to first get out there,” Dr. Toran said, urging attendees to keep their same energy year-round. “We have to keep the momentum going in all the other months. That’s also how I feel about Black History Month—it’s not just a month, it should be 365 days.”

Edwin Galletti, Vice President of Violence Intervention and Prevention Services at UCAN, shared reflections on the neighborhood and the value of events like the Peace Walk.

“We know the Roseland community and the far South Side can be a desert for employment, food, and things of that nature,” he said. “We have to create spaces and opportunities for people to thrive, to become self-sufficient.”

Galletti also reaffirms that the community’s young people, who are especially vulnerable to being exposed to violence in the summer months as they gather en masse at “teen takeovers,” can always call UCAN a safe haven. “A lot of those things that our young people are looking for, we’re trying to provide those spaces today.”

“We don’t always want to do reactionary work,” he continues. “A lot of people think the work we’re doing is just intervention, but a lot of the work we’re really doing is prevention—standing in gaps, creating safe spaces for individuals to congregate.”

The Peace Walk culminated in a block party for the community, complete with food, activities for all ages, pop-ups, and resources for residents and neighbors.

Senator Dick Durbin, who made a brief visit to the event, shared his feelings of joy in witnessing the community’s collective strength after tragic circumstances: “Not too far from here, a week ago, was terrible gun violence. This event was planned before that—they went ahead and executed it for the young people and the families to let them know that this neighborhood is strong, a neighborhood fighting violence all the way.”