'We matter, I matter': Martindale-Brightwood community marks Juneteenth with peace walk

Their cheers echoed throughout the neighborhood as they walked Indianapolis’ Martindale-Brightwood streets.

“Black Lives Matter,”

“No justice, no peace.”

The chants reverberated Friday from an estimated 150 school-age kids from Edna Martin Christian Center Legacy Campus and KIPP Indy schools during a community peace walk in the north-side neighborhood.

The children, along with parents, teachers and neighborhood residents, could be seen lining Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue and walking with megaphones, posters and streamers to celebrate Juneteenth – which marks the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

Bucket drums could be heard. A few motorists driving by honked their horns and waved. Many school-aged children carried posters colored with red, yellow, green and black markers.

Roughly 150 people walked through Indianapolis’ Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in honor of Juneteenth.

It’s the community’s third annual peace walk, and it also aims to highlight the vibrancy of the neighborhood and the efforts of children bringing positive change in the community.

During Friday’s walk, children who volunteered to speak shared such thoughts one by one at three places along the mile-long walk that hold significant meaning to the neighborhood. At Kipp Indy Legacy High School, adjacent to the Edna Martin facility, 17-year-old Shariah Miller dedicated the walk to the next generation.

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