GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A kids march was held Saturday morning in Grand Rapids.
The event, which was hosted by Justice for Black Lives, started at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. Participants walked from there to Rosa Parks Circle, where snack and face painting was provided. A large dance party was also there for the kids.
"The children's march is basically just to give children a safe place to protest and make their voices heard because right now there's a lot of questions," said Alyssa Bates, founder of Justice for Black Lives and march organizer. "Kids want to be able to get involved and they can't exactly, you know, go to these marches. So like I said, we created a safe space for them."
Justice for Black Lives asked that this event be reserved for youth aged 12 and under and their parents. Older siblings were also welcome to march with their younger siblings and hold their hands.
“We want to make it a day of education and fun to help them understand and be a part of change,” the event page reads.
As of 6:45 a.m., 1.4K people have responded as interested on the Facebook event posting.
The event is sponsored by S.W.A.G. Kids Gym West Bloomfield, Citizens Leadership Council, Leaders for Actionable Steps GR, FOE, Kent County Dems, NextGen, AmINext, John Ball Zoo and Mars Hill Bible Church.
Event organizers asked that participants wear face coverings. These will be mandatory for kids who wish to have their face or arm painting at the event.
More from 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
