On a crisp Autumn afternoon, Little Village residents and their allies, clad in purple t-shirts, weaved through their southwest Chicago neighborhood marching for peace and an end to domestic violence.
Hosted by the Marshall Square Resource Network (MSRN), participants of the 5th Annual Peace March sought to commemorate the lives of individuals who’ve been killed in acts of violence and unite neighbors on a peaceful front. The march is an extension of the Little Village Neighborhood Network’s goal to reduce violence in the neighborhood, which frequently experiences both domestic and community violence.
“Every October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The last five years, as a Network, we’ve decided to pay honor to that month,” said Jennifer Idrovo, the director of MSRN, a group of community agencies who’ve partnered with United Way to help meet the needs of residents on the east side of Chicago’s Little Village community, known as Marshall Square.
A recent study by Sinai Health System, one of the Neighborhood Network’s partners, found that one-third of individuals in South Lawndale, the larger region where Little Village and Marshall Square are located, have reported domestic partner violence. In addition, 78 percent have reported witnessing domestic violence, Jennifer said.
“We gather here in Marshall Square and we march around the community to let people know that domestic violence is an issue that is very focused on homes and families, but we want to make sure that we call attention to it in the community,” Jennifer added. “Violence affects everyone — their education, their health.”