BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 100 Days of Nonviolence campaign concluded Monday, January 20, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, with a shoe distribution, neighborhood cleanup and a field trip to Atlanta to reward the young people who led the initiative.
On Monday, Council President Pro-Tem Jay Roberson, who launched the initiative in 2010 in an effort to combat senseless youth violence in our community, partnered with Samaritan’s Feet to provide free shoes for over 200 young people, with Wenonah High School to pick up trash in the Roosevelt City neighborhood, and with Dr. Bernice King and The King Center in Atlanta for a field trip with about a dozen students to the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat game for “Choose Nonviolence Day.” The King Center launched their 100 Days of Nonviolence initiative, the “Choose Nonviolence – No Shots Fired” campaign on Monday. Visit www.choosenoneviolence.org for more information.
“Birmingham has experienced another successful year with the 100 Days of Nonviolence campaign,” said Roberson. “For the fourth year in a row, we have reached the end of the campaign without the loss of one young person under the age of 18 due to senseless violence. The young people in our community need to be commended for honoring the pledge, their dedication and hard work. I would also like to thank all of our partner agencies for their commitment to these youth.”
The three events to commemorate the 100th day of the campaign were:
Samaritan’s Feet Shoe Distribution
Time: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Location: A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club (2900 South Park Drive, SW, Birmingham, AL 35211)
District 7 Clean Sweep in Roosevelt City Time: 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Location: Roosevelt City Community Center (5832 Brewer Dr. Birmingham, AL 35228)
Field Trip: Atlanta Hawks versus Miami Heat Game “Choose Nonviolence” Day
Time: 1 p.m. (depart from City Hall)
Location: Birmingham City Hall (710 North 20th Street, Birmingham, AL 35203)
The campaign kicked off in October with a press conference at United Way of Central Alabama with a new motto – “We’re All In” – and new partnerships. Through the 100 days, the various partner agencies held a number of events to offer young people alternative activities to negative behavior.
The campaign has been so successful in deterring youth violence in Birmingham, that other cities around the country have launched complementary programs, including Greenville, South Carolina; Saginaw, Michigan; Columbia, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia.
