Rooted In Community DTown 2015 Day 4 #RIC2015

Saturday was our day of action so we started our day off at the outdoor amphitheater for breakfast and then we went and did some more sign making, chant learning and media prep before the march. Before we got started with that we played a game where one person was in the middle asking a question and if it applied to you then you had to get to a different place before the person in the middle or you’re in the middle. I helped youth make some poems or speeches to say during our different stops along the way of our march. Once we finished there we went grabbed our stuff for the day and went to the first stop on the march. I ended up on the party bus with all the music and chant makers which was a whole lot of fun. Once we made it to Chene Park we ate lunch and then had Gera’s mom give us a beautiful blessing before the march. We then started our journey marching all the way to the river and did a water ceremony by throwing pieces of rice paper into the river with our good vibes, prayers and intentions with the help of Gera, Tasha, Travis and myself. We then heard some beautiful words from a local Detroit youth and then we passed by a statue of some slaves which brother Jaleel told us that the river we were on was the last station on the Underground Railroad on the way to Canada and freedom in which we took a photo in front of it. Then we picked up the march again and made our way to the water company’s building who is helping to privatize the water so people can’t afford it. Once we got there some youth read some poetry and said some speeches and then we made our way to Cast Commons a local church building.

Once we got there we first partied in front of the church with a few people from a different conference that was being held that same weekend. Then we made it inside and played a game called zip, zap, zop and then did a gratitude exercise all led by the girls at Eco Station. During our gratitude exercise we had the adults and youth split up and we had the adults say how we felt about the summit, our youth and the experience. Once we were done we made a thumb circle of our commitments and then ate dinner after Hai Vo said the Vietnamese commandments to bless the found. Then it was chill time and some of the youth went and explored the city a little and some stayed back and did some freestyling on the mike. Around 7:30 we boarded the buses and made our way back to the dorms where most folks freshened up and then we had a dance party/open mic where people told rittles, sang songs, said some spoken word and some poems. That night was a lot of fun just chillin with everyone and unwinding after a long few days.