The fifth annual “Stepping in the Park Toward Nonviolence,” hosted by Shrone Conaway’s nonprofit To Walk in My Shoes, takes place May 25 in Garfield Park. The free event offers food, fun, family, and job opportunities for local youth (Photo Provided).
For West Side Chicago’s own Shrone Conaway, there’s only one reason she does the work she does.
“I’m still saving the community that saved me, and we’re still here,” said Conaway.
In fact, Conaway and her organization, To Walk in My Shoes, have been mainstays in their work on the West Side, especially in the Austin community. To Walk in My Shoes is marking two significant milestones this year: the nonprofit’s 10th anniversary and the fifth annual “Stepping in the Park Toward Nonviolence” event. The community celebration will occur on Sunday, May 25, from noon to 7 p.m. in Garfield Park—off Madison, just before Central Park Avenue.
But Conaway wants people to think of it as something more than a community celebration.
“We’re just celebrating five years of good, clean, wholesome fun…it’s a backyard party, so we’re just in the park having a family reunion as we call it,” Conaway said in an interview with The Chicago Defender.
And hearing Conaway’s voice crackle with excitement over what she plans to provide her community with “Stepping in the Park,” it’s easy to see that what she has for her community is more profound and enduring than even love.
Some would call it devotion and an unyielding desire to see it prosper beyond what anyone could conceive of.
A Celebration Rooted in Peace and Purpose
Shrone Conaway (Photo Provided).
Held the day before Memorial Day, “Stepping in the Park” is To Walk in My Shoes’ signature event. Yet, it also serves as a kickoff to summer. Once again, the city and Chicago Park District are backing the gathering, which will feature food, family fun, vendors, and activities for the youth, both young and old.
Did we mention food?
“We are going to have a lot of food,” Conaway said. “I bought this ridiculous grill so that we could just pile it on with a whole lot of food.”
Participants will get to learn to dance and take in some music. Plus, there will be a bike giveaway, and about 20 will be given to neighborhood kids.
Remember those city games that adults in the city used to play as kids? Expect those vibes at the “Stepping in the Park” event.
“Don’t see any kids jumping double dutch or doing those types of things,” Conaway said. But she is about to change that.
“We want to let the kids start their summer off positive.”
Building a Future, One Youth at a Time
Photo Provided
Alongside the event, To Walk in My Shoes has expanded its work with youth. Through the Illinois Youth Investment Program, Conaway is hiring 80 young people. The 14-month program pays about $17 per hour and focuses on life skills—from financial literacy to writing in cursive.
“Some of the youth that come to me don’t know how to write in cursive,” Conaway said. “We’re teaching them life skills, financial skills.”
She’s also working with local Black-owned businesses and developing a nursery and gardening program to expose youth to entrepreneurship.
“I want them to see we actually own business, right?” said Conaway. “We can do this.”
Making Space for Joy
Photo Provided
As for the “Stepping in the Park” celebration, it’s an opportunity to show others that there is beauty on the West Side and that it’s way more than just struggles.
“We have beautiful structures. We have beautiful land. We have beautiful people over here,” she said.
And for the elder generations—“the big mamas” and “m’dears”, as Conaway calls them—the event offers a chance to witness that joy again, that feeling from back in the days. “We can listen to some music. We can dance. We can socialize without all the negative,” she said. “Let’s leave that somewhere else.”
A Greater Vision
As this event continues to establish itself as a staple event, Conaway has an even greater vision of what it can become. She wants the celebration to grow into something as large and recognized as Taste of Chicago or Riot Fest.
“You don’t hear too much about family reunions in the state of Illinois,” she said. “Why not here? We have beautiful parks, and they’re getting better. Let’s use them.”
To Walk in My Shoes is also expanding its services: shelter support, HIV/AIDS resources, and education for youth who are often failed by the system.
“We have more prisons than we do schools,” Conaway said. “That’s ridiculous.”
Legacy in Motion
Conaway, a third-generation Chicagoan, sees her work as part of a legacy. Her grandfather once worked for the Defender. Her father followed in his footsteps. And now she’s featured in the very same publication.
“That’s some history,” she said. “That just shows how far we’ve grown.”
But beyond having community events, Conaway’s focus is and will always be the kids, a resource more priceless than money or wealth.
“If I save five kids today, that’s a blessing,” she said. “If I save 10, 15, 20, God will pat me on my shoulder and say, ‘Shrone, great job.’”
For the Next Generation
She hopes young Black and Brown girls can see her and believe they can build, lead, and thrive, too.
“I want little black girls to look at me and say, ‘Hey, I could stand on her shoulders, right?’ Because I stand on some great women’s shoulders. I really do,” she said.
“I want little black girls that look at me and say, ‘Hey, if she did it, I could do it.”
And with that, Conaway has no plans of ever leaving the place that shaped her.
“I can afford to live anywhere,” she said. “But why would I? ‘Anywhere’ didn’t save me,” she said, “This community saved me. So, this is where it is.”
Event Details
What: Stepping in the Park Toward Nonviolence
When: Sunday, May 25, 2025 | 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: Garfield Park (Madison Ave. near Central Park Ave.)
Hosted by: To Walk in My Shoes
Admission: Free
For more information on the organization or to donate, contact Toowalkinmyshoes@outlook.com.
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