Dozens braved the cold and rain for a “Hate Has No Home Here” rally in response to recent incidents of racism in Naperville.
“We’re here to say this is where community begins. Because we are here to say that there is no place for hate in our homes, in our streets, in our cities,” said Dr. Vincent Gaddis, a history professor at Benedictine University and emcee of the rally.
Powerful Speakers
One of the keynote speakers was Marcus Riley, one of the victims of discrimination at the Naperville Buffalo Wild Wings on October 26.
“You have to have conversations with children growing up. You kind of prep yourself for that, going forward, knowing that ‘we’re at this age, talking about these type of things. Now we’re at this age talking about these type of things.’ I’m forced to explain racism to a six-year-old child and hope he understands,” said Riley.
“Where Do We Go From Here?”
The event’s theme “Where Do We Go From Here?” gave attendees ideas for what can be done at the individual level.
“We often talk about behaviors and working on behaviors when we see it. We do that oftentimes in schools,” said City Councilman Benny White. “But the things we really need to work on are attitudes. Because we can address the behavior, but if the attitude is still there, well we have a lot of work to do.”
The full rally can be viewed on the NCTV17 Facebook page.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
