By Benjamin Rothstein

DOVER — Saturday marked the third annual Unity Day in the capital city, with the theme of addressing bullying.

The community festival, organized by City Councilman Andre Boggerty, took place at Williams Park.

“One thing I wanted to do was, one, ... bring people together, and two, showcase some of our great parks in our city outside the ones that everybody normally uses, and I also wanted (it) to have a certain cause,” he said.

Previous themes for Unity Day were awareness of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault, as well as antiviolence last year.

On Saturday, groups like Sussex Pride and The 100 Black Men of Delaware were represented, while speakers presented about avoiding bullying.

“People who bully bully for various different reasons. They might see it go on at home. They might be bullied themselves in the community. They might have low self-esteem. They might just need direction from an older person. They might need a mentor,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters representative Corie Priest, who also serves as the Community Engagement Unit administrator at the state Department of Justice.

“It’s incumbent upon us as adults to hear these children out, to be a beacon of hope to guide these children in meaningful ways,” he added.

Unity Day also garnered appearances from statewide officials, including U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, who highlighted a booth at the event that was distributing vaccines.

“Today, we have folks here administering COVID vaccines, flu vaccines, and what I have witnessed is that often there were fractures and gaps in the system, particularly in our Black and Brown communities,” said Lt. Gov. Hall-Long, a former nurse. “And so, on days like today, we uplift more diversity, making sure resources are in those communities.”

Another booth provided voter registration, something important to both women.

“A lot of times, you know, people feel like they’re not connected to their vote,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said. “But the reality is, that power that you have is connected to ‘How much does a house cost?’ It’s connected to access to health care. It’s connected to our reproductive freedom and our democracy, and so, we are proud that they actually have a table here focused on making sure that people can participate in their own government, and that’s what the vote is.

“And, for so many people, particularly our ancestors who fought for this right, we want to make sure that people have access to it. So, I’m so glad that this isn’t just about fun. This is also about people’s future.”

Also visiting Unity Day was state Sen. Sarah McBride, as well as City Council members Bill Hare and Dr. Julia Pillsbury.

Reflecting on its purpose, Councilman Boggerty shared his thoughts on the importance of the event.

“I don’t know what my future holds on City Council. I don’t know what my future holds in politics. But the one thing I want to make sure (of) is that, during my time, I can say that I’ve brought people together for a cause and to support initiatives that mean a lot to me,” he said.
Motioning to a group of boys playing basketball, he said such an activity is proof of the positive effect of promoting unity.

“I’m almost emotional. You got individuals — I won’t point them out — but some of these individuals were members of gangs,” he said. “Now, they are here playing basketball together.”