Music, food and unity: East St. Louis community comes together for annual Peace Fest
Though temperatures climbed towards triple digits Saturday, the weather didn’t keep Kenya Leonard and Kim Hunt from joining their East St. Louis neighbors on the grass beside the town’s “City of Champions” sign on St. Clair Avenue.
The women were there for the sixth annual Peace Fest, an event sponsored by Mayor Robert Eastern III that raises awareness against gun violence and police brutality.
“It’s a great opportunity to come together and celebrate our community,” Leonard said.
A lifelong East St. Louis resident, it was her first time at the event, and she and Hunt were excited to browse around, stopping by the small businesses and local food vendors that set up tents along 9th Street. They were some of the first people at the free, all-day event. According to event organizer Missy Cason, at least 1,500 people usually show.
Eastern started Peace Fest after the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen who was shot dead in Florida in 2012. Martin’s story inspired Eastern to take action against racial profiling in his own community. This year, Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, was one of the guest speakers.
This year’s event was Eastern’s first as mayor of East St. Louis, which he said made it all the more special.
“It’s a surreal moment ... even more meaningful,” he said.
Despite the sweltering heat, Eastern said he was excited to see everyone gather along the green. Kids played on bounce houses, vendors grilled food and music boomed as he spoke.
“The seed word is peace,” he said. “Hopefully the people that are here can take that seed to their families and spread that peace and cultivate it throughout the city.”
Organizing the event, including brainstorming which acts to book, begins as soon as the last event is over, said Cason. This year, those acts include hip-hop legend MC Lyte, among 11 other local acts, like gospel singer Maureen Williams and Sunshine and East St. Louis Community Ensemble, a group that performs West African dance to djembe orchestra music.
Andrea and Michael Timberson traveled from Springfield for the event, setting up camp on the green next to the stage, so they could have a good spot to see “icon” MC Lyte, Andrea said. Michael, who is originally from East St. Louis, said it’s a good environment to be in.
“It’s just good to see people as a whole come together under this theme and cut down on crime and violence in the area,” he said.
Another East St. Louis native at the event was Scot Pirtle, whose family owns Pirtle’s Famous Ice Cream. Their ice cream truck was set up at the event and has been since every year since its inception. Pirtle was pleased to see the city’s residents and former residents come together and put money back into the community.
“It’s that entrepreneurial spirit that we’ve got that,” he said. “It says it there on the sign, ‘city of champions.’ We wear that slogan proudly, and it really grasps what our culture is: hard work and tenacity.”
As people filled in spots on the green and set down their lawn chairs, blankets and tents, Cason said it’s just nice to have a day specifically for bringing East St. Louis together.
“People have chosen to come here for fellowship,” she said. “It’s all about unity, love and peace.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2019 at 4:04 PM.
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