Unity Walk attracts 55 neighbors and lots of waves, honks

By Debbie Villagomez, Arlington, Texas

I was chatting with my husband, Badi, about ways to get involved to promote race unity. We came up with a Unity Walk in our neighborhood and I immediately called two other moms who have started collaborating with us in building community. 

Their kids are in our junior youth group and children’s classes. They were all in and very excited. 

We made flyers and passed them out to all homes in our neighborhood. We invited the kids in our children’s classes and junior youth group to our driveway two evenings in a row to help make signs with paint and butcher paper. Our junior youths also painted on t-shirts to wear to the walk. 

A few days later, we met at the main entrance of our neighborhood, and all of a sudden had 55 neighbors show up to walk the streets of our community! It was incredible. Several neighbors that we had never met or seen before showed up that morning to rally around our call for unity and walk with us. 

One mom was blasting a beautiful song on her phone for the entire walk with lyrics “We all bleed the same” that we had just played in our race unity devotional gathering that she attended — a song she listens to daily now. Several neighbors who had never met before were able to chat and connect. 

Our kids — Jacob, 11, Noah, 9, and Hannah, 5 — got to participate in a safe way with friends and neighbors, and they were the ones who made the entire idea a reality. We used our neighborhood Facebook page to share pictures of the kids making their posters. 

During the walk, several neighbors waved at us from their windows, driveways and lawns encouraging us. Cars that drove by would see us, read our signs saying “One Human Family,” “We are One” and “Choose Love” (to name a few) and honk in support. 

This 1.75-mile walk further galvanized the unity and strength that is growing in our neighborhood and we can’t wait to see what comes next.