Newark School Fights Back Against Violence With Week Of Peace

NEWARK, NJ — A week of peace, understanding and awareness recently took place at a high school in Newark, including heart-to-heart discussions with several community leaders who urged students to fight back against the “scourge of senseless community violence.”

In solidarity with the rest of the Newark Public School District, Weequahic High School held several programs and outreach activities last week.

On Thursday, the school held an “I Pledge for Peace” convocation, which included a student dance, a “libation to the ancestors” led by history and Africana studies teacher Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele, and a moment of silence for students/staff killed in community violence led by Principal Kyle Thomas.

Students then took the “pledge for peace,” which includes:

• “I pledge to resolve any conflict peacefully at Weequahic High School.”
• “I pledge to create an environment of peace in the classroom and on school grounds.”
• “If I see a conflict taking place at Weequahic High School, I pledge to work with a staff member (adult) to help resolve the conflict peacefully.”

The following day, the school hosted a special afternoon school convocation featuring guest speakers who discussed “the importance of acquiring the knowledge of self in the human experience,” especially in Black and Brown communities.

Speakers included:

• Aziza Kibibi - Precious Little Girls
• Sharif Amenhotep - Brick City Peace Collective
• Shade Duke- New Direction
• Keesha Eure - Newark Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery

The speakers also included Marquies Kendel, a local youth organizer who helped to spearhead a massive anti-violence rally in East Orange for his friend, Letrell Ducan, who was fatally shot earlier this month as he left school for the day. Read More: Heartbreak, Outrage Over Slaying Of Student-Athlete In East Orange

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