Racine Sun

It was a simple basketball game in Racine, yet it could mean so much for a community and a country desperate for change.

“Bigger Than Basketball,” organized by the Voices of Black Mothers United, recently featured Team Unity against Team Peace, with both rosters that included law enforcement officers and community members, according to Fox 6. The ultimate goal of the gathering is to reduce the gun violence that is terrorizing Wisconsin and the entire nation.

Nakeyda Haymer, a spokesperson for Racine Voices of Black Mother United, spearheaded the event after losing her brother to gun violence in 2017. She has been assisting families and others impacted by similar tragedies ever since.

"We want to discuss as far as moving forward in creating peace and change," Haymer told WTMJ News. “I go out and use my brother’s story because it’s always going to be his story and I’ll always have to live with it. But I can change the trajectory of the impact it had. It doesn’t have to be such a sorrowful, sad thing. I can use it to empower other people.”

Between games of basketball, a panel discussion by community stakeholders talked about resources currently available and hopes of expanding those resources. Local law enforcement also discussed how they plan to build relationships with the youth in the community, according to the WTMJ report.

Racine Police Chief Maurice Robinson embraced the opinions of the community.  

"I want to hear the questions that people have to ask and to see what things I already have answers for and what I need to go work on," Robinson told Fox 6. "It helps people to understand that police don't come from a factory. We come from the communities that we serve, and when you get a chance to see somebody play and have a good time, laugh and sweat, you see them as more human."

Gun violence was once associated with gangs or domestic issues. But today gun violence invades all aspects of life with no regard for the innocent victims and lives that are impacted. Haymer said she plans to continue to awareness of the real impacts of gun violence by hosting similar events throughout the remainder of the year.

Haymer said she thinks violence no longer just stems from gangs, but it now can come from sources such as jealousy, illegal activity and issues within inner circles. Keeping up the momentum and continuing to host events to bring awareness to violence are parts of Haymer’s plan for this year.