Alexandria Peace Walk Set for June 6, Organized by Teens
"They want to bring a message of peace and let people know it is still okay to call the police.”
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Siblings Kennedy (16) and Kaden (15) Brandon have planned an Alexandria Peace Walk for this Saturday, June 6, 2020 from 5 to 8 pm, at Ewald Park, located at the intersection of Duke Street and Wheeler Avenue.
They picked the park by the police station on purpose, said their mom, LaToya, because “they want to bring a message of peace and let people know it is still okay to call the police.” In fact, they plan to end the walk festivities with a “Cha Cha Slide” with Alexandria police officers and firefighters.
Mom LaToya, a publicist who helps build non-profits, gives her children all the credit. “I just assisted them with their vision of doing a walk. This event is all them. I contacted Mayor Wilson, and he connected us to the City to get the permit. I sent him a message on Facebook! He’s very responsive!”
Kennedy and Kaden started their nonprofit foundation when they were only 9 and 10. “They have always been exposed to giving back,” says LaToya. Their big brother and mentor is Roc Carmichael, a former NFL cornerback who played for the Houston Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles, and he got them started back in 2013.
“He taught them that people will often listen to children before they will adults, and that they should use their voice while they have it,” she continued. Right away, Kennedy thought about the people who did not have as much to eat as she did.
Every year she collects 5,000 pounds of food. “You can still go to any fire department in Alexandria and donate food for Kennedy’s and Kaden’s Corner,” says their proud mother.
And Kennedy is an activist too. She gives away sanitary napkins as well. “Her argument before the school board was that the boys get free condoms, yet the girls still have to pay for pads,” says LaToya, and now she collects enough sanitary napkins every year “so the girls can have free pads at Mini Howard, GW and T.C. Williams.”
The public is invited to the Alexandria Peace Walk and encouraged to wear blue, the color for peace. Walkers are asked to bring posters, wear masks and stay six feet apart for the walk, cha-cha slide, and prayer. “We only ask people bring themselves and a peaceful spirit,” say Kennedy and Kaden.
ICYMI: 11-Year Old Tyler Crabtree Gets Car Parade Celebrating ‘No MO Chemo’
