First-year student Janeya Cunningham attempted to end global gun violence by starting in her hometown of Chicago with a march almost three years ago. Now, with her documentary, "I AM FOR PEACE," she hopes to take the issue to a whole new level.
Cunningham recently graduated from one of the Perspective Charter Schools in Chicago, a network of public high schools with a curricular focus on positive peace talks and workshops promoting peace, effective communication, community activism and leadership skills. In June 2014, Cunningham, then just a sophomore in high school, worked with two other sophomores at the time, Razia Hutchins and Maurice Young, to organize a school/neighborhood march in hopes of ending gun violence. The event turned out to be “one of the largest student-led peace marches in the city's modern-day history and created a lasting movement for peace,” according to the school's website.
Cunningham and her two partners were ecstatic with the positive turnout.
“We wanted to do the march again the next year and we wanted to incorporate even more people,” Cunningham said. This march eventually led to the producing of a documentary to involve more people in the movement. Together, the three students raised $35,000 in just one month with Kickstarter to finance their documentary with New Chapter Entertainment.
"I AM FOR PEACE" is a film displaying Perspective Charter School students collaborating together in order to address the social responsibility of gun violence and emphasize the importance of youth improvement.
"After I left my high school and hometown, [I feared] our peace movement would end,” Cunningham said. “I am doing everything I can to keep the movement alive even while away at DePauw.”
She is confident that this gun violence movement “is an ongoing piece,” as she helps train individuals to be members of peace teams and lead documentary premieres at various businesses, schools and homes in Chicago and on DePauw’s campus.
The thirty minute version of "I AM FOR PEACE" will be presented this Thursday at 7 p.m. in Watson Forum. The education system, restorative justice program and film studies departments are helping with the promotion of this film.
While excited for the premiere of her documentary, Cunningham also understands that the documentary might affect students in different ways.
"People have such different backgrounds here at DePauw," she said. "Gun violence was a common background, a primary concern for all back home. I have no fear that my piece will have a place on this campus.”
Cunningham said she cannot describe in words how much she has learned since the beginning of her high school sophomore year when this all started, and she encourages all students to pursue their passions.
"There is nothing you cannot do as long as you have the support and ideas," she said. "You should go as far as you can to make things happen. Things can and will.”
