​Unsilence Voices: The Sisterhood is a community-based initiative designed to harness and amplify the powerful voices of brave Chicago mothers who have lost a child to senseless gun violence. 

Renowned artist and educator, Cecil McDonald, will capture the lived truths of these mothers and their journeys through grief, activism, and healing. A culminating interactive exhibition will engage the public in crucial conversations around the intersections of race, violence, media narratives, and collective trauma.  A web-based digital version of the exhibition and educational materials will be disseminated to classrooms and communities around the country. 

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​THE CHALLENGE
2,758 people were shot in Chicago last year. Gun violence in Chicago disproportionately affects black and brown communities, particularly, young black men. Their humanity is questioned and their stories go untold.

"Some people don't even see us as human."
- Chicago mother grieving her son

THE SOLUTION
Amplify their stories through:

• Artist partnerships with underrepresented, grieving mothers to document and lift their authentic voices;
• Interactive experiences (live and digital) to engage local and national audiences in crucial and difficult conversations around gun violence; and
• New public narratives grounded in deep investigation and documentation, representing the full humanness of marginalized voices.​

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WHY GRIEVING MOTHERS NEED TO SHARE THEIR STORIES
by GWENDOLYN BAXTER

LONG-TERM IMPACT
As the inaugural program in our Unsilence Voices series, we envision this project serving as a model for future collaborations to engage the public in addressing critical issues within society. These collective dialogues are essential to challenging  public misconceptions and ingrained prejudices, creating empathetic solutions and dismantling the institutional, cultural,  and personal forms of silencing that perpetuate these tragedies. Through community support and collaboration, we will create lasting solutions for social change and community safety.

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A PARTNERSHIP FOR CHANGE
The Sisterhood is a nonprofit organization of mothers whose children have been killed by senseless violence and serve as an action/support group for each other. The Sisterhood focuses on empowering mothers to grieve healthily through meetings, social gatherings, outreach, civil events, and annual retreats. The Sisterhood desires to be a voice for their children and all people that have been affected by senseless violence.

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