Stop the violence.

This seems to be a recurring theme I’ve been hearing for the past year or so and it’s getting annoying.

Of course columnists, analysts, commentators and community leaders alike have already touched on the subject so I don’t need to beat a dead horse on my opinion. However, I just want to see substantial change in my community and not hear the same rhetoric.

When I attended the “Stop the Violence Rally” sponsored by the Rev. Michael Bowen, the president of the Safe Haven Center, Monday, I was honored to be in the presence of such great people.

Such people who impact their community either in the pulpit, the law office, the streets or the classroom. Monday’s event brought together babies, children, teens and adults and no matter what the personal views or beliefs, one thing was certain: We were all together, in one place, peaceably.

I was not born during the time of racial tension in the 1950s and 60s. Nor was I there to participate in sit-ins, where racial slurs and food being thrown on African-Americans were the norm. Lastly, I was not there when grocery stores, restaurants, public transportation systems or schools were segregated. I never saw a “whites only” sign in my life.

I honor all those who fought for my freedom to attend any school or college I wanted or eat at any restaurant without evil looks.

I’m glad for African-Americans and whites standing together and refusing to tolerate injustices against people of all creeds, nationalities, religions, ethnicities or sexual preferences.

Monday’s rally reinforced what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., always wanted: togetherness.

It made my heart glad to see white and African-American children sitting together, laughing and playing with no reservation. I even saw an African-American woman embracing a white toddler in her lap, and the little girl gave the woman a loving kiss in return, and no one questioned it.

For one moment, all the murders and shootings in Selma didn’t matter. It seemed like my ancestors’ efforts finally paid off.

I am living in King’s dream, unashamed, and he would be proud.