There is a depth in this question from civil rights legend Ruby Sales. She legend learned to ask this question in public because she found that it went to the heart of the matter.

Seeking the roots of the pain opens the door to vulnerability. Likewise, when we share in community, we share vulnerability. It has been especially poignant to watch how we build this sort of connection in our children, minorities, and in the places that need healing the most.

As we finished this edition, Cure Violence Global’s Macon partners were preparing to host their first Peace Week. Cure Violence Global helps communities implement violence prevention programs that are effective in significantly reducing violence.

An initiative that spawned from Mayor Lester Miller and Macon-Bibb County commissioners’ Macon Violence Prevention Plan, Cure Violence Macon builds relationships and trust with the community, interrupts violence, and works toward holistic transformation. Their current focus in Pleasant Hill, with committed case workers who live in or have established ties to the neighborhood, has resulted in multiple mediations and less shootings.

Pleasant Hill has not seen a rise in injuries since efforts began earlier this summer.

We are following this work, and will look forward to sharing more of the story as they build on what has begun.

We can find plenty of places where it hurts in Macon. And if we know where it hurts, we know where to help. May these pages be a launching pad for helping the hurt in our community.

Keep sharing,

Susannah C. Maddux