2 days ago
1,000 boys and young men of color expected to take part in Brilliance and Excellence march against violence
The third annual Brilliance and Excellence march against violence is set for this weekend in Chicago.
The purpose is to promote antiviolence strategies and resources for the community, and organizers hope to bring more than 1,000 boys and young men of color together for that purpose.
"We strategically placed this march at the end of the school year," said Vondale Singleton, founder of CHAMPS Male Mentoring and cofounder of the Brilliance and Excellence movement.
The annual gathering aims to change the narrative.
"The way that young Black men are looked at in our city, it's not like a good look," said Brashen Gilbert, portfolio manager for Male Mogul Initiative. "So I just want to show how we can come together and just stand up for each other."
Gilbert is expecting the area of Pershing Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Bronzeville to be filled with hundreds of boys and young men for the third annual Brilliance and Excellence march and opportunity fair.
The Brilliance and Excellence movement is a conglomerate of local organizations, coming together to march along that historic stretch of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
"Let's not make the excuse that nobody cares, that 'no one loves me,'" said Singleton. "We love you. We support you. We're rocking with you. We're rocking for you. But you've got to show up."
When the march first started in 2023, 700 boys and men showed up on the South Side. Last year, the march was held on the West Side, and nearly 1,000 took part.
Keith Bass of Male Mogul Initiative participated in the previous marches, and said it allows young men to receive summer jobs and plug them into safe and peaceful activities.
"I think they just benefit by just getting the exposure that, you know, there's a lot of Black positive male role models in Chicago," Bass said. "They can really bring people to come together."
Singleton said since the previous Brilliance and Excellence movement marches were so successful, the Obama Foundation reached out and asked the group to be the new backbone organization for My Brother's Keeper Chicago.
"We have a Brilliance and Excellence board who's focused on creating convening spaces across Chicago — so not just on the South Side," Singleton said. "We have a West Side regional space. We have a Latinx community space for MBK."
The 1,000 boys and young men of color will meet Saturday near the intersection of Pershing Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The march kicks off at 10 a.m.
