Grieving mothers band together to foster healing after losing loved ones to gun violence

LOUISVILLE — After the Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith’s 24-year-old son Daniel Sadou Brown was killed in a senseless act of gun violence in 2018, Smith began to meet other mothers who had suffered the same kind of heartrending loss and trauma.

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“I heard their stories of how they had turned their pain into purpose by serving the community and other moms but were doing this great work out of their own pockets,” Smith said. “The powers that be in the city had not shared or allocated funds to assist with this level of trauma.”

That didn’t sit right with Smith, so she decided to use her grant-writing and relationship-building skills to create Mothers Organized for Peace and Healing (MOPH), a partner of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP).

The MOPH coalition was formed in spring 2023 to pursue partnerships “with funders interested in working with mothers leading healing and change in the community for families impacted by gun violence and other forms of community violence,” Smith said.

“The funding allows the women that are already doing the work to really expand the work,” she added.

MOPH is the lead project of the Southern California Community Empowerment Corporation (SCCEC), which serves families in low- to middle-income communities that have been affected by community violence.

“SCCEC focuses its work on education, economic empowerment, community engagement and youth development,” Smith said.

During the 2024 Thanksgiving and Christmas season, MOPH was active in a number of ways. For example, it hosted a tree-lighting service that included a grief counselor and a chaplain.

“We focus the holiday season on providing services and healing opportunities, gatherings, toy giveaways, food giveaways … because, as you would imagine, this is the hardest time for many families,” Smith said.

The coalition provides solace, support and discussion opportunities to grieving people, whether they’ve lost a child recently or the tragedy occurred several years ago.

“Healing, in these cases, is not a destination; it's a journey,” Smith said. “Just having a place, or places, where people can come together, that is part of the healing work.”

The coalition’s offerings also include online sessions. “Our hope and healing sessions are absolutely free,” Smith said. “Anybody can log in, join us, and then the mental health expert is actually giving data-based- driven tools and information that families can use in their process of healing.”

The coalition is grateful to SDOP for providing funding but also for being a source of encouragement.

Members of the coalition “work together to build a funnel of support for this unique demographic and community,” Smith said. “SDOP has poured into this funnel and has brought hope, encouragement and funding to an overlooked issue in South LA.”

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The SDOP Western Region National Team has been impressed with MOPH.

“I have never met a group of mothers who are hurting on the inside due to the loss of their children but still have the heart, mind (and) dedication to reach out to other mothers who also suffered the same type of loss in order to build a community of trust and support,” said team member David Johnson, who is a minister.

Smith explained it this way: “When I'm with these other moms, we can talk. We can talk about the memories. We can cry. We can express frustration, and no one is like, ‘Are you done yet?’ And you also don't feel like you have to cover up your tears and mask your emotion, because you're amongst peers.”

MOPH is featured in the 2025 issue of the SDOP Sunday resource and yearbook. Download the free publication in time to celebrate SDOP Sunday, March 16.