Area schools host 'Day of Peace' event at Memphis Sports and Events Center

SYDNEY HAWKINS // ACTION 5 NEWS // VIEW ARTICLE

More than 600 students filled Memphis Sports and Events Center on Friday for a Day of Peace.

The five-hour event replaced a regular school day for students at St. Agnes Academy, Christian Brothers High School, St. Benedict Academy, and Sacred Heart in Jackson, Tenn. It’s an event that took several months to plan but comes at an appropriate time according to Bethany Odom of St. Agnes Academy School.

“Of course, the day began long before some of these violent events in our city, but we do plan to help our youth see that they can be agents of peace,” Odom explained.

The day of peace featured area speakers, prayer, and workshops, instilling peaceful practices in the high school students.

“A day of peace looks like connecting with students from other spaces to talk about the issues,” said Jaila Hampton, a high school senior. “We don’t always get to talk about and be vulnerable about. It’s a safe space.”

The event comes more than one month after the police beating and death of Tyre Nichols, just one violent incident organizers reflected on.

“We all know what it’s like to live in this city,” explained Father James Martin Nobles. “We all know every single time we hear the word ‘violence’ we immediately think of some headline that’s happened in our city. What’s beautiful about today is that we recognize the violence that’s happened in our city, but how can we respond as peacemakers in our time?”