 going to stay on the sidewalk and work our way up to Michigan Avenue. I would encourage you to connect with somebody that you didn't come here with. A part of unity is creating dialogue and conversation. And so I would love it if you would speak to somebody that you don't know and begin that building process. So if you would, please follow me in the police department as we walk together in semblance of unity. Yeah, last year, leaders from the city, the police department and the black American community outreach defied the nation's climate at that time. We defied what seemed to be a growing narrative of division across the country. We came together to make a statement and make a stand that we wouldn't be like the rest of America, but we would come together that we would commit ourselves to being one, being united, being humane and being compassionate to one another. Instead of focusing on what divides us, come together for what unites us. We don't need to look the same or talk the same, think the same or even be from the same place. What we need to do is love one another, embrace each other, engage and encourage collaboration, communication and community. We need to take a step back and learn from our mistakes of the past so that we can help our children take up the mantle of peace, run with it and not grow weary. This year and carrying on the tradition of walking alongside each other for unity. We've invited more people to the table, not only because there's room for more people, but because it's the right thing to do is because we should all be a part of a table that focuses on developing peace among people as the president of the black American community outreach. I promise to uphold our mission statement, to uplift and empower the entire community in which we live before me is a rock with our logo on it. This rock will symbolize our organization and our commitment to build with other organizations and people of diverse backgrounds. We hope that as we place this rock in the middle of peace park that others would join us in making a solid contribution towards peace. Over time, as we add on to this foundation, we don't know how it will take shape or what it will form. But that's the beauty of humanity. When we come together, we can build something that's unimaginable, something that's memorable and long lasting. Please join the black American community outreach and our commitment to build and our commitment to love and our commitment to unity. Thank you everybody for coming. This is as it was said, this is our second annual event and it's getting bigger and better every year. We're growing and one of the things that I wanted to talk about is when we talk about community, we talk about families and families is what unity is all about. Brothers, sisters, everybody's neighbors, businesses, everybody working together in everything that we do, everything that we say, everything that we we work playing and have fun together. So unity is basically a representation of that in every community. And together, we can grow this community and grow our unity by helping each brother, sister work together, live together and enjoy the great community that we have here. We have to struggle through some things together as a family, but together we get stronger as we continue to grow together and embrace each other and help each other through our tough times and our good times. So again, our rock represents the city of Sheboygan and our community and all of our brothers and sisters and neighbors that live here, play here and visit our great community. So thank you. Good morning everybody. Really, I just want to thank everybody for showing up. I can't tell you how important that is, especially in the middle of the, not the middle, the end of the summer here on a beautiful day like this when everybody has so many other things they'd rather be doing to take the time and show that we all value each other and what each other brings to the table really means a lot to us all. I don't want to be the guy at cliches, but I think that's what you're going to get from me this morning. So when we think about unity, I think we really need to remember to take the time to listen to each other. And when we listen, don't listen to reply, but really listen to understand where the other one's coming from. By doing that, we can really focus on the things that we have in common rather than focusing on the divisiveness and the things that we don't have in common, which is much too often today. So listen to understand so that we can move forward together. One of the things I tell my kids and other people in the police department is focus on what you control so much of the time we focus on those things that we can't control. And so why we must understand and know our history, let's not focus on the mistakes of the past, but focus on how we can build better together going forward, those things that bring us all together and value all of our strengths rather than our weaknesses. So again, thank you so much for showing up today. Please take advantage of all the community meetings that are going on. The police department has been working with the city and our neighborhoods to try to create neighborhood organizations throughout the city so that these things that we talk about can happen that people can focus on common problems that they identify and work to deal with those problems together. So take the chance to spend a little time at some of these meetings, getting to know your neighbors again that will break down some of those walls and help to build the bridges that we need for success. Thanks a lot. Christina Singh. And first I'd like to say a few words on behalf of the LGBTQ Alliance. I'm honored to be a member of the Alliance as an ally. And really the Alliance is working to make sure that Sheboygan is a safe place for all people for all sexual orientations for all gender identities and gender expressions that there's safety and dignity and inclusivity in Sheboygan. And when we work towards that, we create a better community for everyone. As part of the Alliance, we know that this work is very active work. It's not passive. So by showing up here today, you all are participating in that active work towards creating a more inclusive community. And I thank you for that. I also invite you to consider other ways to be active in creating inclusion in the community. The LGBTQ Alliance has three committees working really hard in the areas of government and social services, business and employment and health and education. And we welcome all community members to be a part of that work to be a part of the action every day that's happening to create more belonging and unity in this community. So our rock for the LGBTQ Alliance is a little heavy. So and I got two of them to move. So if anybody would like, anybody want to come help me move this one? Oh my goodness. Come on up. You want to help me out? Okay. I'm here for the Boys and Girls Club. And of course, I can't let go of the mic without saying a few words about the Boys and Girls Club. At the club, I can think of one word that really encapsulates the work that we do and that is belonging. We work every day to create an environment that is safe and inclusive for all kids so that no matter who you are, you can come through our doors and feel welcomed. You feel like you could be your whole self. You feel like you can relax. That is very active work as well. And I'm so grateful for our staff and our volunteers who make that happen every day. And the best example I can think to share with you is happening at our teen club. Actually just down the road at the YMCA. If you were to walk through the doors and ask any teen why they like being there, they probably would tell you it feels like family. It feels like a place they can be themselves. And if you were to look across the room, you might not see a lot in common on the surface with all of those kids, but one thing unifies them and that is that they want that sense of belonging not just for themselves but for every other person in that club. And so that's what I ask of you today. I think we don't even have to have anything else in common to unify us other than we want a place to belong and we want that for our neighbor. So I invite you all to fight for that sense of belonging not just for yourself but for your neighbor. Thank you. My name is Sheila Yang. I'm here on behalf of Mo Mutual Assistance Association of Sheboygan and our Moan community. When we talk about unity, we sometime get lost in the definition of what unity is. And well let me show you a quick demonstration of what unity means. So a quick demonstration for me to show is unity means when you're all at one, you see this? This is what it is. It breaks easily right? This shows that we are not united and we are easily to be breaking. But now grabbing a handful of sticks and try to break it and you can't. Right? This shows unity. This is what unity means where we united as one. And when we are united as one, we are unbreakable. And this is who we are and this is what we are. So this is who we are. And when we are united, we are capable of anything and unbreakable just like these. So looking forward to everyone. And yeah. Hi everyone my name is Aaron Rodriguez and it's really an honor and just amazing to be able to sit here and represent the Hispanic community. It's only a couple of us but that's all right. You know as a part of the Hispanic culture one of the biggest things that drives us when you go to Mexico happens to be our faith. And when we talk about that faith, one of our biggest desires is unity. Unity doesn't always just mean coming together and just hanging out. Right? That's a form of unity. But to really really be united means to love each other, to care for one another, to treat other people's children as our own. Where we look out for everybody else's best interests and not just our own interest. You know one of the things in our faith when it talks about unity it doesn't just mean like I was saying before coming together but it means for a people group to come in one accord. To have a single mindset without any kind of divided interest. Now I want to repeat that to come into unity means to come without any divided interest where we can come together and say hey I see what you're standing for brother or sister. I want to stand there with you. I want to believe for you the best for your life. I want to walk with you whatever your walk looks like. I'll be there when you're down and I'll be there when you're up. That's what unity truly means and it's really an honor and a blessing to me to be able to stand here with all of you from different cultures, different backgrounds, different stories. And you know thank you Pastor Mike. You know it's really a blessing to be able to be here with everybody else. And I want to just you know I pray a blessing over you guys and thank you guys so much for this. Give me a big rock man. All right my name is Pastor Ethan Toos and I'm representing the faith community here in Sheboygan. I am last in this group of rocks but as a pastor but even more so as a Christian I'm constantly challenged by the words of scripture to live in peace and to love other people and to pray for them even if they are my enemy even if they're someone I don't necessarily get along with. That is my what I'm striving for and that is my heart to truly love them to truly find ways to serve them and to truly love them regardless of where we're at in life. I was reading the other night how Jesus right before he's arrested and goes to the cross prays three times that we would be one just as him and the father are one. And then I read the apostle Paul say live at peace with one another as far as it depends on you. And I don't think that's just for the Christian or faith community but that's for all of us. That is our call and I believe that's something that's just really powerful and a call in each of our lives to serve one another and get along and to fight for peace and hope and love together and together through that great cause we stand as one. So as part of the faith community here in Sheboygan that's what I wanted to say and I will bring my rock into the center and then I will end with a very short prayer and then I'll turn it over to Pastor Mike. So Heavenly Father we thank you for this beautiful day. We thank you for everyone gathered here and we pray as we leave here today that we would be changed that we would seek to love and honor and serve one another despite our differences that together we would more reflect who you are. It is in Jesus name we pray. Amen. I want to thank you all for doing your part and showing your support for unity and to take another scripture that comes to mind. Bless it all the peacemakers. So I would ask that you would go forward throughout today and the rest of your lives being peacemakers because it's a blessing not only to you but it's a blessing to others. I thank you so much if we could continue to walk in unity back to the fountain park and if you can infiltrate that park and just impart peace and love and grace to everyone that you come in contact with.