Initiative Revived to Combat Violence in East St. Louis and Beyond
EAST ST. LOUIS/EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is one of many partners working with the 40 Days of Nonviolence and Beyond initiative in its ongoing mission to deter and ultimately eliminate violence in the East St. Louis area. The committee kicked off its campaign with a press conference, that included State Sen. Christopher Belt (D- 57th District), on Friday, Jan. 17 at the Clyde C. Jordan Senior Citizen Center in the East St. Louis Township.
The initiative will run from Jan. 25 through March 4 and will include activities for students, ages 8-18, with SIUE Project Success, SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, Lincoln Middle School, Black Greek letter organizations (Divine Nine) youth groups and more, according to Kimberly McClellan, of the 40 Days of Nonviolence and Beyond executive committee, president of the SIUE Professional Staff Association, SIUE Head Start teacher and SIUE alumna. Also on the executive committee are Sherri L. Miller and Joe W. Lewis, Jr., also vice president of the East St. Louis Community Tennis Association.
One vocal partner and supporter is Sen. Christopher Belt (IL-57th District).
“I am invested and always have been invested in good programming for our youth,” said committee member Belt, who has 16 years of experience of working with juveniles in St. Clair County probation. “Either your tax dollars are going to go to pro investment for our youth, or we’re going to pay on the back end with issues surrounding violence, crimes against property or putting kids in detention centers, which is more expensive.”
“I’m excited about this initiative and glad that’s it’s coming back,” continued Belt. “In talking about 40 Days of Nonviolence and Beyond, I focus on ‘beyond.’ Here’s what we know. Bored and unsupervised children tend to get into things that are detrimental to their health.”
Lt. Elbert Jennings, of the Illinois State Police (ISP) and a committee member, emphasized the importance of law enforcement being part of the initiative.
“Our involvement is rooted in the commitment to reducing violence and fostering stronger community relationships violence,” said Jennings. “ISP recognizes that law enforcement must work together alongside community leaders to make a lasting impact. Through our participation in this initiative, we can help foster trust, safety and collaboration between law enforcement and the community. By working with such leaders as Joe Lewis, we aim to send a consistent message that eradicating violence is a community-wide responsibility.”
Jennings enumerated law enforcement involved in the initiative that included the East St. Louis Police Department, SIUE Police Department, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, East St. Louis Housing Authority Police and East St. Louis School District Security.
“Homicide is the third leading cause of death for all young people between the ages of 10-24,” offered 40 Days of Board of Director’s member Daphne Dorsey. “When that number is broken down by race, it’s the number one cause of death for African American youth.”
Programming offered will include presentations and discussions that are age-related concerning career pathways, increasing positive interaction with law enforcement, holistic health education, counseling, sports and exercises, conflict resolution and conduct and decorum. Topics will be spread over the following themed segments: Information Week, Health Week, Military and First Responder Week, Education Week, Community Engagement Week and Unification Week. The programming will be held on the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus and Lincoln Middle School.
Activities will include chess lessons every Tuesday and Thursday at the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus and tennis lessons every Saturday at Lincoln Middle School by the East St. Louis Community Tennis Association.
In 2017, in cooperation with 40 Days of Nonviolence, three historic courts in Lincoln Park were rebuilt and serve as the home of the East St. Louis Community Tennis Association. In 2024, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), through the U.S. Open Legacy Initiative grant fund in honor of CoCo Gauff’s 2023 US open women’s singles title, resurfaced the tennis courts in Lincoln Park. USTA is also working on putting new tennis courts at East St. Louis High School, according to Scott Stinson, of the USTA and committee member.
“We are teaching about 1,000 kids all over the country,” said Stinson. “We love teaching kids everywhere.”
The 40 Days of Nonviolence and Beyond initiative was first launched in 2014. It was paused during the pandemic and has been revived, according to Lewis.
“The crime rate has gone down every year we’ve had 40 Days of Nonviolence and Beyond,” said Lewis. “So, we know it works.”
SIUE Alumna and SIU Meridian member Andrea Tolden-Hughes offered her reasoning as to why the initiative works. Tolden-Hughes earned a bachelor’s in speech communication and mass communication from SIUE in 1983 and a master’s in speech communication education from SIUE in 1989.
“You have to tell young people why it’s important and give them something good to participate in,” said Tolden-Hughes, social action chairman of Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc. “When they get involved in the programs, we have an opportunity to talk to them and teach them morals, values and what’s important in life. And it takes all of us.”
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high-quality education that powerfully transforms the lives of all individuals who seek something greater. A premier metropolitan university, SIUE is creating social and economic mobility for individuals while also powering the workforce of the future. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Home to a diverse student body, SIUE is situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis.?
