Seeking Peace: Communities Unite to End Street Violence

The list read as though part of a commencement ceremony. One by one, accompanied by a mellow hymn, the names of over 260 children killed by street violence in Chicago were read out loud.

Gathered at Holy Cross Church on Nov. 4, parishioners joined by youth and residents of Back of the Yards and other communities, honored the victims as part of Urban Dolorosa, an anti-violence, faith-based initiative working for peace in Chicago neighborhoods.

Amongst a candlelight vigil and opera singers, the documentary images of photographer Carlos Javier Ortiz were shown, displaying instances experienced by youth living in high-crime neighborhoods of Chicago. After the list was read, those who had gathered walked out of the church for a procession that took them around the streets of Back of the Yards, where just a week earlier Omar Gonzalez, 21, was gunned down and killed doors away from his home.

The procession at Holy Cross was among five Urban Dolorosa memorial services that aimed to draw residents, organizers, communities and faith-based organizations across the city together and stop the violence. Other memorial services were held at The Faith Community of Saint Sabina, First United Methodist Church at Chicago Temple, New Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church and Hyde Park Union Church.

To learn more about Urban Dolorosa and get involved visit www.urbandolorosa.org.