“Large Turnout at Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate Hosted by YWCA Evanston/North Shore in Illinois”

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) — One step at a time, thousands of people took to the streets of north suburban Evanston to stomp out hate.

“Our society continues to change, and unfortunately, not for the better,” said YWCA Evanston/North Shore President and CEO Cherese Ledet.

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Sunday marked the 26th Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate, hosted by YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

“Now more than ever, it’s crucial for us to unite as a community. The substantial turnout we see here today speaks volumes,” expressed Ledet.

The event pays tribute to Ricky Byrdsong, the first African American men’s basketball coach at Northwestern University. Tragically, he was fatally shot by a white supremacist while out for a walk near his Skokie residence in July 1991.

“The essence of the Race Against Hate truly embodied how my husband approached life, so we felt compelled to take action,” shared Sherialyn Byrdsong, widow of Ricky.

Byrdsong launched Race Against Hate to memorialize her late husband and to bring a sense of hope and peace to the community.

“Silence or inaction is not an option whenever your community has been impacted by such a horrific act, like what happened to us,” Byrdsong said.

Race Against Hate participant Arlene Jackson says after Byrdsong’s death, she knew she had to show her support.

“Unfortunately, we still have so much hate in this world, and this race is one small way that Evanston can say, ‘Hey, we are totally against that, and we are supportive of this community,'” Jackson said.

Sharon Weeks says she has come out to Race Against Hate for years and says she feels the need to keep coming back to take a stand for hope.

“There is one message, that we do not receive hate, that we are a community of love and we extend that love out into the community and other areas as well,” Weeks said.