Alliance of Concerned Men
News, Views, & Updates
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"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Montgomery, Alabama, 1957 | |
ACM x MLK: Parade / Peace Walk January 2024 | On January 15, residents of Washington D.C., City Council Members, Chairman Phil Mendelson, Mayor Muriel Bowser, and others celebrated the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. despite the cold, sleet, and snow. ACM was honored to marshal the event and former Executive Director and Board member, Tyrone Parker, served as Grand Marshal for this year's MLK Day. Stuart Anderson is the annual MLK Parade and Peace Walk manager, and the founder and director of Family & Friends of Incarcerated People (FFOIP). Here's what we saw: | Call out to D.C. area youth: Help ACM spread the peace! | | |
"We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline." - MLK at 1963 Washington, D.C. March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. | |
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"Everything we do is with the community."
ACM President Clayton Rosenberg speaks about the significance of King's legacy for communities in D.C. and the meaning of the city's 42nd annual Peace Walk. "How do we continue to push forward? This is what Dr. King wanted. You can't have peace without conflict resolution." Rosenberg praises attendees for showing up despite the harsh weather o celebrate Dr. King in peace. This year's theme was "Recapture The Dream Lift Every Voice: ‘Till Victory is Won!"
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ACM and Saving Our Youth (SOY) bring youth to Urban Air in most recent field trip
Since returning home to Southeast D.C. in 2014, Curtis Brothers (above, center) has been on a mission to reach out to, and advocate for, the youth of his community. His nonprofit, Saving Our Youth (SOY), offers mentorship and opportunities for exploration, while also providing access to food, clothes, and school supplies.
An affiliate of ACM, Curtis serves as a Violence Interrupter and mediator for the youth, influencing them to become change-makers at school and in their neighborhoods. In September 2023, local ABC7 news accompanied Curtis on a ride-along through some of the city's most troubled areas (segment plays after commercial).
SOY's most recent trip was to Urban Air, where young people enjoyed a unique recreational experience. Previous destinations included Memphis, Tennessee, where students visited the Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel, the site of King's assassination.
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Voices for Peace
Council member Janeese Lewis George introduced the bill to expand antiviolence programming in D.C. schools
Legislation to expand conflict resolution education in D.C. schools and enhance safety supports for school communities received strong support at a January 11 council hearing. The council heard from educators, students, parents, advocates, and community members who discussed safety needs at their schools and the important role that conflict resolution, school safety directors, and stronger safety protocols can play in making our schools safer. ACM gave testimony during the hearing.
|  |  | This past month, D.C. schools have dealt with fights and (thankfully unfounded) bomb threats — underscoring the real safety challenges our schools face and the need for improved resources. ACM President Clayton Rosenberg and Executive Director Terrance Staley explained our methods for training counselors and showed how our proved techniques can deescalate altercations, help students manage their anger, and foster positive relationships in school with transformative results. Above are brief excerpts of their remarks. | | | |
Did you know? ACM is teaching Conflict Resolution to DCPS students!
Our classes are offered in-person and online at J.C. Nalle Elementary, Sousa Middle School, Jefferson Middle School Academy, Friendship Collegiate Academy, and Eastern High School. The Conflict Resolution program teaches our young people communication skills to help deescalate and resolve conflicts inside and out of school.
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Flashback to 2020: 100 Days Without a Shooting in Washington Highlands after Truce
This report from The Washington Post, "With a truce brokered over Zoom, one D.C. neighborhood goes nearly 100 days without a shooting," speaks volumes to the vital work ACM accomplishes in our communities. From the article by Peter Hermann:
"Allen James, co-chief of the attorney general’s violence reduction initiative, said, 'Kids are in survival mode when they go out on the street. They don’t have any vision into the future.'
[Cure the Streets program direct Jovan Davis, pictured below] works round-the-clock supervising a staff that embeds on the streets he once feared, handing out ice cream to kids, organizing socials and trying to talk people out of shooting each other. They are partnered with a community group called the Alliance of Concerned Men."
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Washington, D.C. was hit hard by inclement weather throughout January. But ACM affiliates were out in the neighborhoods shoveling and clearing driveways, steps, and sidewalks of dangers ice and snow. Simple helping hands like this go a long way to making our streets safer for everyone, especially the older members of our community or others with mobility issues. | | |
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We want to hear from you!
www.acmdc.org
info@acmdc.org
202-575-7544
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