The loss of human life, productivity and creativity from violent and adversarial conflict in Chicago is immeasurable. Dr. King’s campaigns and movements spanned only fifteen years but answer an emphatic “yes” to the question of whether by working together to address social ills we can stem the tide of violence and foster positive social growth in the lives of our people. The change required the engagement of people from many sectors. For example, in the Chicago Freedom Movement members of street organizations called a truce and played a vital nonviolent role by serving as marshalls for the marches.
We at the Addie Wyatt Center see ourselves as part of a collective of many deeply dedicated organizations in Chicago working to prevent and alleviate violence. Our contribution and commitment is to develop a cadre of nonviolent practitioners and trainers capable of analyzing and tackling in a nonviolent way the root causes of social and economic injustice that lead to violence, in the spirit of historical civil rights movements.