Local 7-year-old boy organizes Black Lives Matter march

PHILADELPHIA - Much of what we’ve been facing as adults and the path towards progress is extremely complicated but in the eyes of children, it’s often pretty simple. Jackson Zemba is only 7 years old but he’s old enough to see what’s going on and apparently old enough to want to help.

“I wanted to do this because Black Lives Matter. Everyone’s not getting treated the right way,” said Jackson.

His parents wanted to be supportive of his efforts but they also wanted to make sure that this was what this son wanted to do.

“We were at dinner on Monday night and Jackson was talking about what he would want to do when he got older. So we talked a little bit about the Children’s Crusades and he said he wanted to have a march, so there it was,” said Jackson’s mother, “He emailed his principal and the assistant. An email that he was gonna do it. He emailed his teacher to ask if he could share and he handed out 200 flyers door-to-door this week.”

Jackson led this event but no one expected his Penn Wynne community to respond the way that they did.

The march was a sight to see and received a strong turnout with many marching through the streets. This march didn’t just include kids, it was led by one who was still learning about being a leader.

“It didn’t feel bad, it was really comfortable and I wasn’t scared or nervous. It’s okay to talk, it’s not scary," he said.

That may be the takeaway that Jackson’s parents have for others that are struggling with what to say to their kids during this difficult time. The conversations aren’t easy.

“There’s no playbook, there’s no guide you can read to engage in this, but I would say start to engage. Start to show them what is happening and lean in,” said Jackson’s father Chris.

The hundreds of people that showed up at the Penn Wynne March were all happy for the 7-year-old who was moved to step up, hoping that the world changes for the better. For that, we thank him for doing his part – for goodness sake.

___

For the latest local news, sports and weather, download the FOX 29 News app.

DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP