The Truth Staff
For the third year, the Sisters 4 Unity brought together a variety of organizations, community leaders and attendees focused on the goal of making the Toledo community safer, especially for youngsters.
The Third Annual Communities Against Violence March & Unity Day on Saturday, August 17 began at Smith Park and also concluded in the same area so that a range of speakers could address issues on violence and commend the efforts of those bringing awareness of such issues to community residents.
The Sisters 4 Unity stand out among those who are placing an emphasis on community violence. Organizers and the original members – Aviance Hill, Abena Rowland, LaShawnda Kinnebrew and Yolanda Dawn Tisdale-Waller – have, in recent years, spoken from their hearts since they have all had the misfortune to experience the catastrophe of losing a child to gun violence.
However, instead of giving in to that sorrow and trying to heal by themselves, they have come together in an effort to use their families’ misfortunes to help prevent others from undergoing similar experiences.
This past weekend, a number of other groups, elected officials and community members joined Sisters 4 Unity to inform the community of the dangers of gun violence and the alternatives to such incidents.
Sisters 4 Unity has been working on a number of fronts to impact families suffering from the grief of the violent loss of a loved one, said Aviance Hill. They have been working with City Council on the legislative end and conducting more workshops to directly aid families through “their grief journey,” said Hill.
More such direct community involvement is in the future, she noted, along with an effort to work with legislators in the Columbus statehouse on gun violence issues.