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Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris

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Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris is the CEO and founder of the Avalon Village, located in Highland Park, Michigan.[1][2] Her nickname, "Mama Shu", is a reference to Shu, the Egyptian god of air.[3] Although she has transformed her neighborhood into the Avalon Village, she does not have a background in urban planning or development "except for sitting on this porch conjuring up what I want to do on this block, that's it", stated Harris.[4] Harris also houses The Moon Ministry, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization.[2] The Moon Ministry has no connection or affiliation with Hyung Jin Moon's Unification Church.

Harris is an active member of her community and has held many roles over the years. She was a school administrator in the Detroit Public Schools for 27 years, a chaplain for the Highland Park Police Department, chairwoman of Highland Park Charter Commission, Vice President of the Highland Park Housing Commission, President of the Highland Park Board of Education, and was appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a member of the Michigan Commission on Community Action and Economic Opportunity.[5][6]

Personal life

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In 2007 Harris' two-year-old son, Jakobi Ra, was struck by a car in a hit and run accident while crossing the street with his older brother, Chinyelu.[3] The following year Harris opened the Avalon Village in his honor, which included Jakobi Ra Park.[7]

In 2015, she lost her step-son, Pili Humphrey, who was 34 years old.[5][3]

January 2021, Harris' 23-year-old son, Chinyelu Geb Kahero Humphrey, was sitting in his car in the Avalon Village doing neighborhood watch when he was shot and killed.[8] Harris heard the gunshots and saw two individuals at the scene.[8] No arrests have been made for Chinyelu's murder, and Harris even went as far as purchasing a billboard in 2022 asking the community for help. The billboard featured an image of Chinyelu and read, “My son was killed. I saw who did it. I told the authorities. No arrests. Help me. Signed, Mama Shu.".[9][10] Harris stated that she had to fill out a police report twice because it got lost and that the crime scene was not treated appropriately.[11]

Avalon Village

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The tragedy of losing her son, Jakobi Ra, inspired Harris' motivation to develop the Avalon Village.[5] The Avalon Village is named after the street it sits on, Avalon Street, located in Highland Park, Michigan.[12]

The Avalon Village contains the Homework House, a space intended for local children to visit after school to study, get tutoring, or attend learning activities.[13] There is access to computers, 3D printers, a music studio, and a library. The space also contains a refrigerator and table for dining as well as a washer and dryer.[14]

Jakobi Ra Park features a mural of the Egyptian solar god, Ra, and the headstone for Harris' son, Jakobi.[15] It contains a basketball court that has been named "My Three Sons" to memorialize Harris' deceased sons, Jakobi, Pili, and Chinyelu.[5] On July 30, 2024, rapper and hip-hop artist KRS-One performed a benefit show at Jakobi Ra Park.[16]

The Avalon Village started after Harris purchased a house on the corner of Avalon Street for $3,000, which would be the first of 45 lots that were eventually acquired by Harris in her neighborhood of Highland Park, MI.[17] Over the years, Harris acquired funding through many different avenues to help reach her goal of building the Avalon Village, including selling $5 fish sandwiches.[17] The Avalon Village Kickstarter earned a massive $243,690 in donations.[2] Harris was featured on "The Ellen Show" in 2016, where Ellen DeGeneres donated a $100,000 pre-fab house to the Avalon Village.[18] The American rock band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, donated $100,00 through their Big Sun Foundation non-profit.[19] And an anonymous donor and former Highland Park resident donated tens of thousands of dollars to help with the completion of the Homework House.[14]

Recognition

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  • USA Today's Woman of the Year, 2024[20]
  • Top Ten CNN Heroes, 2023[21]
  • Rainbow PUSH Coalition Let Freedom Ring Humanitarian Award, 2023[22][23]

Media appearances

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  • "All There Is" with Anderson Cooper: Mama Shu: Turning Loss Into Love, 2024[3]
  • "The Ellen Show" with Ellen DeGeneres: Ellen Meets The Amazing Mama Shu, 2016[24]
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References

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  1. ^ Johncox, Cassidy (2024-05-31). "Avalon Village continues to transform Highland Park for the better". WDIV. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  2. ^ a b c Thibodeau, Ian. "Highland Park 'eco-village' brings basics back to block". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  3. ^ a b c d "Mama Shu: Turning Loss Into Love - All There Is with Anderson Cooper - Podcast on CNN Audio". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  4. ^ Hartman, Steve (2022-03-18). "An unlikely urban planner injects new life into her Michigan community - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  5. ^ a b c d "It Takes A Village – And Mama Shu Is Building One". Detroitisit. 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  6. ^ "Michigan Health and Human Services: Shamayim Harris". Michigan Health and Human Services. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Walker, Micah (2024-07-29). "Hip-hop legend KRS-One to perform at Highland Park's Avalon Village". BridgeDetroit. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  8. ^ a b Drew, Karen; Clarke, Kayla (2022-12-16). "Highland Park's Mama Shu saw who killed her son. Why hasn't anyone been arrested?". WDIV. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  9. ^ "Michigan Mother Puts Up A Billboard Asking For Help In Her Son's Unsolved Murder Case". Yahoo News. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  10. ^ "Michigan mother puts up billboard seeking son's murderer". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  11. ^ Drew, Karen; Clarke, Kayla (2022-03-10). "Highland Park's Mama Shu fights for justice after son murdered while protecting neighborhood". WDIV. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  12. ^ Johnson, Myesha. "Shamayim Harris, Highland Park's 'Mama Shu,' brought a blighted block back to life". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  13. ^ She spent 15 years transforming a derelict Detroit block into something beautiful. Now she's ready to transform the world. 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2024-11-22 – via www.cnn.com.
  14. ^ a b Drew, Karen; Clarke, Kayla (2022-10-20). "Mama Shu's Homework House in Highland Park gets help from anonymous donor who paid remaining bills". WDIV. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  15. ^ Thibodeau, Ian. "Gravestone marks milestone for Avalon Village founder". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  16. ^ "KRS-One to perform at Avalon Village in Highland Park on Tuesday, July 30". WXYZ 7 News Detroit. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  17. ^ a b Dunn, Meg (2023-06-16). "Turning pain into power: How a grieving mother transformed a neglected block near Detroit into a village of beauty and opportunity". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  18. ^ Steinberg, Stephanie. "Ellen Degeneres gives Avalon Village leader $100K home". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  19. ^ "It Was a Blighted City Block. But This Woman Is Turning It Into a Solar-Powered Ecovillage - YES! Magazine Solutions Journalism". YES! Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  20. ^ "Women of the Year". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  21. ^ Dunn, Meg; Klairmont, Laura; Toner, Kathleen; Torgan, Allie (2023-11-01). "Meet the people who are making the world a better place". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  22. ^ Hicks, Mark. "The work is not done, say those celebrating King in Detroit". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  23. ^ "Rev. Jesse Jackson Honors Kem, Blake Corum, Rabbi Syme, Bishop Charles Ellis, Rev. Watson and Mama Shu Harris on MLK Day". prnewswire.com (Press release). Rainbow Push Coalition. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  24. ^ Ellen Meets The Amazing Mama Shu. TheEllenShow. 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2024-11-22 – via YouTube.
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