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Neighborhood Parades to Promote the Peace Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Douglas Calvin, United States Jan 26, 2003
Culture   Opinions
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Destiny’s Essence is the Many Colored Drum Beat
By Robin Chen Delos, Age 18, 2002

Peace in the town
Peace in the world
No more fighting
No more bombing
Please don’t bomb no more
Peace Peace Peace

Peace in the town
And all the way around
No fighting
No bombing in the town
No bombing of people

[and repeat]

Destiny Thompson, 9

She was a warrior, I could see it by the way she carried herself. Destiny. Nine years old and I knew she was already a leader. She had already asserted her leadership in the neighborhood rhythm workshop the Youth Leadership Support Network organized for Petworth youth on a sunny fall day with the wind gentle whispering like brushes on a drum, and the sun so brilliant that kids couldn’t help but run to the park.
She flew over to us, and started drumming. Behind her, a colorful banner with the words “Promote the Peace, Participate” lay next to the intergenerational circle of people drumming. Periodically, Destiny brought the beats to a sudden stop, then counted out a new beat for them to pound out, maybe mirroring the pound of her heart, I thought. Drummer Mad X, who had been keeping the beat for twenty-years deferred to Destiny’s command. He listened to her count out the rhythm, watched her hands on the drum, and followed her lead. So did her little brother, their friends, a little four-year old girl named Essence, the little girl’s uncle, a veteran activist, and me. We could all feel Destiny’s spirit soaring. “A one, a two, a three, a four –now,” she cried, just like a band conductor.
The neighborhood seemed to feel the essence of the drumming following Destiny. A group of high school boys came over to where we were, wearing skull caps that made shaved heads look sleek under the sun, with their Hilfiger pants hanging low. They shyly crowded around and watched, then one came over and started drumming. Another asked me for my juggling balls, and showed me his tricks after I threw them to him. And Destiny’s beat kept marching on and on.
Spotlight on People’s Parades to Promote the Peace…Participate
Articles and Interviews

Interview with Destiny and her younger brother. Petworth DC, October 2001

Why are you out here?
We wanted to come out here today.
Why?
Because there was nothing else to do.
Do you like to play drums?
Yeah, because they are my favorite drums.
What is peace?
Peace means living together and being nice to each other.
Peace is people getting along.
How do you get along with your sisters?
Play with her.

-Destiny’s little brother

________________________________________ Interview with Destiny

Were you at the parade?
Yeah.
What did you think?
It was good. I like the drumming. I know how to play real good and you all showed me how to drum.
Neighborhood reaction to the parade?
They should have liked it because I did
Why were you marching in parade?
So we could have peace.
What does peace mean?
Peace means to me when someone leaves you alone and helps you out. when someone has been messing with you for a long time and you ask them to leave you alone, and when they leave you alone and then start being your friend and helping you out.
What is your neighborhood like? More peace or more violence?
More violence.
Why?
Because everyday I hear gunshots and everybody’s fighting.
Why?
Because sometimes they just want to be mean and hit someone and the other person hits them back.
How can we promote peace?
By doing what you’re doing and let them come here so they can learn not to fight, not do violence.
What do you think about the WTC and bombing Afghanistan?
They should not do that. people only want their freedom. I saw this lady because she was in pentagon and had to go to hospital because her face was messed up.
Don’t be doing violence and don’t bomb everywhere.
how will this stop? (violence)
maybe if they get caught and go to court and get put in jail and learn their lesson. They’d learn their lesson, if they don’t then they get put in jail again.
Should we be bombing Afghanistan?
No, no.
Why not?
Because that would be having the wrong spirit. we should get them for what they’ve done..
Is the bombing right?
no. bush shuldn’t bomb either.
What should we do with this situation “terrorists”?
we should go in a room and talk to each other then we probably be friends and they won’t bomb.
Why aren’t we doing that?
Because we can’t reach them and they don’t listen.
They are evil. we’re evil too.
We shouldn’t fight back.
-Destiny, Age 9
I met her after a neighborhood People’s Parade to Promote the Peace where the YLSN had started out as a rag-tag group of activist artists, musicians, and writers and then grown to a critical mass as youth saw the banners, the crazy cat puppet, and heard the triumphant horns mixed with snappy drums – and joined the procession – pouring out of their homes and playgrounds to be a magnificent streaming ray of hope. Destiny pranced down her neighbhorhood’s streets, running up to every passer-by and car to hand out fliers explaining the simple concept of the parade in the simple phrase, “Promote the Peace, Participate.” However, violence underlies her life’s reality in Petworth. “Everyday I hear gunshots and everybody’s fighting,” she said. Destiny marched, “so we could have peace.” Sitting at my side in the grass, and keeping the beat on a drum, Destiny quietly sang “peace in the town/peace in the world.” She sang with her heart, as a child who knows violence and sees hope’s marvelous possibility within reach. Maybe it was something inside her, waiting to leap out. Maybe the Peace parade helped to kinder it.





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