Dozens of children and community members woke up Wilmington's Hilltop neighborhood Saturday morning to the sound of drum beats and dancing.
For the fifth year in a row, Wilmington Peacekeepers marched through the streets for the annual Children's Rally and Peace March to raise awareness about gun violence and promote peace and safety. Already this year, 113 people have been injured by the city's gunfire – 10 of those victims have been children.
"Right now is a time for us to do something," said Pastor Sandra Ben over the loudspeaker Saturday. "This is not the time to kill. This is a day of love."
The local group, which takes to the streets regularly for prayer and fellowship, waved to residents opening their doors and watching from their front porches. Peacekeepers like Kevin Kelley, the city's Director of Parks and Recreation, urged those gathered to come down to Tilton Park – where the march started and ended – sometime Saturday for food, a moon bounce and other activities.
Clad in bright orange, many in Wilmington recognize the group and know what they stand for.
Auto Matik, who grew up in Wilmington and is now raising two kids of his own, remembers seeing the Peacekeepers on city street corners when he was younger. Now, his 5-year-old daughter is helping to promote peace in the city and participated in the dance group, Melodic Movement Dance Team, which twirled and twisted their way down Fourth Street for the march.
"I'll support anything positive for the kids," Matik said.
And the children need more positive opportunities, said Pastor Margaret Guy, who leads the Stop the Violence Prayer Chain, a group in Wilmington focused on providing youth with safe activities. Already this summer, she's taken kids down to Delaware beaches for day trips to get them out of the city.
Her hand shook as she prayed through the microphone at the intersection of Fourth and West Seventh streets.
"Father God, snatch the guns away from their hands," Guy shouted. "We want our babies to grow up."
It's a resounding message in a city that rings with gunfire often. Mayor Mike Purzycki, who stopped by the festival Saturday, and other city leaders have said they want to see more activities for children, especially in the summer months. Picnics and small festivals like the one held Saturday offer children other opportunities to safely be outside.
So do activities like dancing, said Melody Dale, the director of the Melodic Movement Dance Team and a dance teacher at Kuumba Academy, a top performing charter school in Wilmington.
"They're out here being active, exercising," she said smiling. "This gives them something to do."
Her group, full of young girls, started as a praise dance intensive workshop and grew to a larger team that performs at parties and other local events often, she said.
Dale's hope is to teach children that they have the power to make a difference.
"I want them to know you have a voice, not only today but every day," she said. "It starts with you guys."
Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.
Contact Saquan Stimpson at s.stimpson@monsterphotoiso.com or Follow him on Twitter at @monsterphotoiso.