Local Alumnus Organizes Peaceful Protest In Oak Lawn

From Oak Lawn Community High School:

Oak Lawn Community High School believes that as a diverse and inclusive 21st-Century school, our mission is to graduate students prepared for future success through a safe, supportive, and intellectually challenging environment committed to the values of Spartan PRIDE.

That mission was evident when on Friday, June 5, 2020, when Oak Lawn Community High School graduate Brian Adams, Class of 2018, organized a peaceful protest as part of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations happening across the nation. Brian has been a vocal advocate for change through peaceful discourse. He worked closely with village officials to plan this event and to ensure the safety of those participating and in the community.

Over 200 protesters gathered at the corner of 95th and Southwest Highway to begin their march to village hall. Once at the village hall, Brian along with other OLCHS alumni, students, and community members spoke out to raise awareness to the racial divide that exists in our nation and the outrage over the murder of George Flyod. The protest concluded with all participants taking a knee in remembrance of George Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

When asked about the event Brian said “I thought it went really well. But it can’t be the only thing we do as a community. It was a good start, but it can’t end there. We should be proud of what we are doing in Oak Lawn and we should continue to spread that message. It is not over. It can’t end here.”

OLCHS is very proud of the way Brian, the Village of Oak Lawn administration, and the Oak Lawn community came together to show their support for the nation and peacefully join together in support of each other.

This press release was produced by Oak Lawn Community High School. The views expressed here are the author’s own.