Pastor John E. Fields got the lay of the land from Burroughs-Molette Elementary School Principal Mavis Jaudon Friday before summer school let out just before lunchtime.
Together they identified a few of the primary routes students who walk home from the city school take. Fields then deployed a group of fraternity men he brought to the school to the routes so they could walk with the children and show them their community will keep them safe.
The school is just five blocks from the 2600 block of Johnston Street, where 16-year-old Mykal Ellis, a Brunswick High School student, was shot and killed this week. Police are searching for Breon Hartley, a 21-year-old Jacksonville man, who they say is responsible for Mykal’s death.
The murder was the last straw for Fields and other Black leaders in Brunswick, he said. He said the recent spike in violence and shootings around Brunswick, especially among young African American men, must stop.
He gathered members of his own fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, as well as from other historically Black fraternities like Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma and Kappa Alpha Psi, for the task. Together, they plan to build a strong foundation of mentorship and maintain a dialogue with young people to prevent them from falling in with gangs and criminal activity as they grow.
“These shootings have backed us up against a wall,” Fields said. “If we don’t get to them when they’re young, the gangs will. We don’t want anybody messing with our kids.”
As children came out in a single-file line from the front door of the school, Barrette Walker, Micah Fulks, Greg Jaudon, Marty Simmons, Craig Campbell and others walked with groups of children across campus and down the streets of Brunswick, talking to them about their day, sharing bits of wisdom and showing them they care.
Walker, who is fatherhood and mentoring state chairman for Omega Psi Phi, strolled slowly up Lee Street with three children who were going to a summer camp program at a nearby church. He talked to them about the importance of reading and writing and staying in school if they decide on a career as a news reporter.
“We just want them to know as African American men how to put their best foot forward,” Walker said as he walked back to the school. “We don’t want this to be just a one-time thing.”
He hosted a virtual open session with about 25 men with connections to Brunswick this week to brainstorm ideas about how best to achieve their mentorship goals. They discussed a summit to hear from Brunswick’s youth about their experiences.
They talked about hosting basketball tournaments and other events to keep young people occupied during the summer months. They spoke of planning ahead to work with the city’s reestablished recreation department when it is back in action later this year.
“We want the kids to take the lead. We want to hear from them,” Walker said.
Fields said the group’s goal is not to lecture children about what they should and shouldn’t do.
“We’re going to listen to what is going on in their lives,” Fields said.
His church, First Jordan Grove Missionary Baptist Church, and others like Zion Baptist, where Campbell is pastor, can be a conduit for much of the mentoring and activity, Fields said. First Jordan Grove, for example, is hosting a Back to School day on July 23 to have some fun, help with school supplies and encourage the community’s young people.
The group and its plans are still in their infancy, but Fields said none of the men has any plans to let the idea slip out of view.
“We are committed to this and there will be more to come,” Fields said.
