Chelsea City Councilor Damali Vidot Praises Youth for Organizing March for Peace Rally

Chelsea City Councilor Damali Vidot, candidate for the Massachusetts House of Representatives for Charlestown and Chelsea, was asked to speak at a peaceful protest organized by Black and Brown youth of the community this past Sunday, June 7th. The March for Peace Rally attracted approximately 500 residents from Chelsea, Charlestown, East Boston, and Revere. Community leaders from all walks of life joined to commemorate the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and too many others lost to racialized violence. The community stood powerfully together to create space to address the systemic injustice and racism entrenched in our communities and institutions.

Councilor Damali Vidot has a strong track record of engagement with and empowerment of Chelsea’s young people. Vidot started The Movement basketball league in 2016 to provide mentorship to young adults and prevent youth violence. Reflecting on the young leaders who called on her to speak at the event, Councilor Vidot acknowledged, “I commend and applaud the youth in our community for approaching me with this important and necessary community event. Our youth are hurting and understand the pivotal moment we are in. We must listen to them and we must learn from them.” Councilor Vidot continued, “I am grateful for this space for our community to join in solidarity, give space for us to grieve, and amplify the voices of the Black and Brown leaders for us all to collectively address the problems of today.”

Reflecting on the successful March for Peace Rally this past weekend, Vidot stated, “It is an honor to be in a community with thoughtful, creative, and passionate young leaders who will show us a way forward in these times of crisis. While we are all grieving, we must also remain vigilant of the change we can bring to our communities. In times of crisis, leaders must make space for necessary and difficult conversations to set the foundation to overcome the systemic injustices we face. The voices of our youth are absolutely essential to this process”

Councilor Vidot concluded, “I am inspired by Sunday’s March for Peace, the energy of the youth organizers and participants, and the clarity on the need to make systematic change. I am motivated to continue to lead on the issues that will improve our public health system, clean up the environment, reform our criminal justice system, and build equity in our local economy.”

For more information on Councilor Vidot and the campaign, please visit our website www.votedamali.org. You can follow us on Twitter @DamaliVidot and on Facebook. @DamaliVidot. Councilor Vidot encourages all residents to register to vote at sec.state.ma.us/ovr, and to vote on Primary Day election day, Tuesday, September 1.

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