.

BRANDIS ?

>> THEY MAKE A GOOD SNACK TOO, PARIS.

THANK YOU.

>>> PLANTING GARDENS TODAY IN HONOR OF JUNETEENTH , BUT THIS ISN'T SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

THEY ARE BORN OUT OF COLLEGE PREP ALMOST 15 YEARS AGO AND ARE TRAINED ON NONVIOLENT CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND HAVE KEPT STUDENTS SAFE AMID THE ONGOING STRUGGLE WITH GUN VIOLENCE.

JOINING US MORE IS A RECENT GRADUATE WHERE SHE IS THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE WARRIORS, AND IT JIMMY A CUNNINGHAM, ELDER AND CEO OF COLLEGE PREP.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

RECENTLY GRADUATED.

CONGRATS !

WE WILL COME BACK TO THAT BUT YOU PLANTED MULTIPLE BEAT GARDENS TO COMMEMORATE JUNETEENTH.

WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT TO DO THAT ON THIS HOLIDAY?

>> IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE JUNETEENTH IS ABOUT REMEMBERING OUR LOVED ONES AND CELEBRATING THE PAST AND HOW FAR WE HAVE COME SINCE.

I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO CELEBRATE THIS DAY.

>> YOU LEAD THIS GROUP WHILE YOU WERE IN SCHOOL AND HAD TO GO THROUGH TRAINING IN CONFLICT.

HOW DID THAT GO?

>> IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TRAINING.

YOU JUST LEARN ABOUT THE SIX PRINCIPLES, THE DIFFERENT THINGS TO COMBAT VIOLENCE ON A DAILY BASIS.

WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE HARDSHIPS IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO RESOLVE VIOLENCE WITHOUT USING PHYSICAL VIOLENCE.

>> HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE THESE COMMUNITIES?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THE PRINCIPLES CAME FROM DR. KING AND THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE FOR US, WHAT OUR STUDENTS GO THROUGH WHEN THEY COME TO US , THEY EXPERIENCE LOSS AND TRAUMA AND GRIEF .

THE WARRIORS ARE COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT NO STUDENT HAS TO GRIEVE ALONE BUT ALSO THEY INTERJECT OUR SCHOOL WITH LOVINGKINDNESS AND THAT IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT THEY DO.

>> AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, IT HAS BEEN A VIOLENT HOLIDAY WEEKEND IN CHICAGO.

A 14-YEAR-OLD AND 15-YEAR-OLD WERE SHOT, ONE OF THEM FATALLY ON THE WEST SIDE.

WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DOES THIS VIOLENCE HAVE ON YOUR PEOPLE?

>> IT CHANGES THE WAY YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN.

TRAUMA IMPACTS THE BRAIN AND THEIR ABILITY TO COME IN AND LEARN MATH.

SOMETIMES WE WILL HAVE STUDENTS WITH THEIR HEADS DOWN WERE STUDENTS WHO DON'T LISTEN TO A TEACHER AND WHEN YOU GET TO THE ROOT OF AN ISSUE, A CONVERSATION I HAVE HAD WITH STUDENTS , IT'S WELL, I AM MISSING MY BROTHER OR MISSING A SIBLING.

WHEN YOU BRING THE PARENTS IN , THEY HAVE ALSO LOST A CHILD SO YOU ARE DEALING WITH FAMILY TRAUMA AND FAMILY GRIEVE .

THEN WE ARE TELLING OUR STUDENTS THAT YOU NEED TO LEARN AND BE RESILIENT AND GO TO COLLEGE, SO HOW CAN WE PUT THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING SOMETHING THAT GROWS THE FUTURE WHILE ALSO IS REMEMBERING THE PAST?

>> THAT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE LEARNED THAT THEY MAY HAVE WITNESSED THIS VIOLENCE RECENTLY.

THE CHANCE OF A BLACK OR LATINO PERSON HAVING SEEN A SHOOTING BY AGE 40 IS AT 50% COMPARED TO A QUARTER FOR WHITE PEOPLE.

ONE OF THE PRINCIPLES IS NONVIOLENCE IS A WAY OF LIFE.

YOU ARE WEARING THE DR. KING QUOTE ON YOUR TEACHER TODAY.

DO YOUR PEERS STRUGGLE WITH REMAINING NONVIOLENT IN THE WAKE OF THIS KIND OF VIOLENCE?

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE CASE THAT NONVIOLENCE IS THE ANSWER?

>> THIS IS SOMETHING WE SEE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS.

IT IS A WAY OF LIFE .

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, PEOPLE -- IT IS SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING TOWARD, SO THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

WE KEEP REEMPHASIZING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO AND WILL DO AND THERE IS SOMETHING FOR US ALL TO LIKE.

>> SUMMER IS HARDER FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE WHEN THIS VIOLENCE SEEMS TO PEAK .

>> IT IS HARD AS THE ADULT IN THE SCHOOL AND FOR THE TEACHERS AND THE PRINCIPAL .

THE WAY THAT OUR STUDENTS GET TAINTED IN THE NEWS AND THE WAY THAT THESE YOUNG BLACK PEOPLE ARE PAINTED IN THE NEWS, IT IS OFTEN NEGATIVE.

TO SAY HEY, HERE IS A GREAT STORY , AND OUR STUDENTS ARE PLANTING GARDENS, RIGHT?

THEY ARE NOT OUT DESTROYING ANYTHING, THEY ARE BUILDING LIFE AND CREATING LIFE AND BUILDING SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE AND THAT IS WHAT WE WANT MORE OF ON THE NEWS.

>> JUST A FEW SECONDS LEFT.

WHAT ACTION ARE YOU HOPING THE NEW MAYOR TAKES ?

>> I HOPE HE COMES TO THE TABLE WITH US IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SCHOOLS, HEALTH , ANYBODY THAT IS A COMMUNITY LEADER AND CAN COMMUNICATE WITH STUDENTS AND CAN GET TO THE TABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN DO THIS.