As the children arrived in front of two yellow buses waiting on a sunlit Bronzeville street, Octavia Mitchell remembered each of their losses.

       “Her mom was murdered 14 years ago at a gas station,” Mitchell said while looking over at Najariah Roberts. “She was just 2 months old. They all have to live without their loved ones. I just wanted her to come out and enjoy herself.”

       Najariah, now 14, was one of more than 50 children gathered Saturday morning along South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, waiting for a free field trip to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. The event was organized by Warrior Moms, a group of mothers who lost children to violence, to provide a day of joy for youth who are also grieving slain parents or siblings.

       Octavia Mitchell does a head count before a trip to Six Flags Great America on Aug. 21, 2021, in the Douglas neighborhood of Chicago. (Vashon Jordan Jr. / Chicago Tribune)

       Najariah said she was thrilled about riding the theme park’s many roller coasters. But what she most anticipated was talking to peers who understand her pain.

       “It’s kind of really hard to find people who really know what you’re going through,” Najariah said. “It’s nice to have a connection with others who know what’s going on.”

       Mitchell, one of the event’s co-organizers, said the dozens of children hail from a range of neighborhoods that have suffered from violence. By bringing them together while young for a cheerful activity, she hopes they can build bonds that will serve as a positive influence on their communities.

       “We can’t save everybody, but we try to save what we can in the city of Chicago,” Mitchell said.

       Her son, 18-year-old Izael Jackson, was killed by Chicago police on April 24, 2010, during a traffic stop near Parkway Gardens. After years of what she described as waiting for proof of police officials’ narrative that Jackson was firing at police, she decided to put her energy into giving back to Chicago’s youth.

       Shavonda Morens, center in white, boards a bus for a trip to Six Flags Great America on Aug. 21, 2021, in the Douglas neighborhood of Chicago. (Vashon Jordan Jr. / Chicago Tribune)

       Dedra Morris, another planner of Saturday’s trip, lost her son Leonard Anderson Jr., the rapper known as L’A Capone, in a shooting on Sept. 26, 2013. She was hopeful that the Six Flags excursion would help the children grow up to emulate the way the Warrior Moms come together for something positive.

       “Just because you from different neighborhoods don’t mean you have to grow up and be enemies,” Morris said. “So that’s what this is really about, and to get the kids out of the neighborhood and show them something different.”

       Many children and siblings of those lost to Chicago gun violence attended.

       LaSheena Weekley, mother of slain Chicago rapper FBG Duck, Carlton Weekly, and his brother Jermaine Robinson, whose rap name was FBG Brick, brought out her grandchildren.

       Another Warrior Mom, Carmen Anderson — who lost her daughter in gun violence more than a year ago — took her 11-year-old son who can’t understand why his sister is gone, Mitchell said.

       Aisha Blakley, whose brothers Mark Blakely, Hakeem Murray and James Johnson, known as Troy, were also fatally shot, brought their children out for a day of fun.

       From left, Shavonda Morens, Lasheena Weekly, Octavia Mitchell, Dedra Morris and Carmen Anderson of Warrior Moms pose for a photo before a trip to Six Flags Great America on Aug. 21, 2021, in the Douglas neighborhood of Chicago. (Vashon Jordan Jr. / Chicago Tribune)

       As the buses sat in front of the curb, young children played with sticks and hid from the sun in the shade. Older teens laughed as they looked at each other’s cell phones, while the mothers made sure all the coolers filled with icy water bottles were stacked.

       Jesseonia Lockett, a 13-year-old, played with her dreads that fell below her knees as she listed off the rides she wanted to go on. No. 1 on the list was the Joker roller coaster because of the spins and sharp turns, she said.

       “I came because we can have something to do,” Jesseonia said. “I’m big on roller coasters. Six Flags got a lot of roller coasters so I’m excited to go.”

       The Warrior Moms ordered 30 pizzas from Giordano’s for the youth for the travel back to Chicago, and gave out Visa gift cards totaling $500 in a raffle, said Mitchell.

       Sixty book bags were given out under the Jaya Beemon Foundation, through her mother Nyisha Beemon.

       Mitchell said the field trip was a success because it brought people together and showed them what family is about.

       “To see their eyes light up and enjoy themselves in peace was priceless.”

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