MAMA SHU

Every day at 5:45 p.m. on Local 4 News, from December 26-30, we’re replaying the most talked about stories of the year.

Nearly two years ago, 24-year-old Chinyelu Humphrey was shot and killed in front of his Highland Park home.

A group of young figure skaters headed to Highland Park for an important lesson, not about skating but about giving back to the community, and they learned it from a pro.

She lost one son to a hit and run and lost another to murder -- but “Mama Shu” Harris still fights on to make her Highland Park neighborhood better.

On Tuesday, the national voting rights organization called Black Voters Matter brought their message and caravan to southeast Michigan, including in Ypsilanti, Detroit, and Highland Park, to encourage people to turn out on Nov. 8.

Mama Shu wanted to create a safe place for children to study in her Highland Park neighborhood and now that dream is becoming a reality with the opening of the Homework House.

There’s a lot of transformation going on in a local neighborhood that has been rocked by violence.

When it comes to the term “Community Building,” Shamayim Harris, more affectionally known as ‘Mama Shu’ is doing this literally. A native of Highland Park, when Mama Shu saw her neighborhood in ruins, instead of giving up and moving away, she envisioned turning the blight to beauty. After years of hard work and determination, Avalon Village, a community within a community was created.

Shu Harris, also known as “Mama Shu,” helped her neighborhood rebuild and now she needs help from police after her son was murdered.

She’s a mother who tried to rebuild her community and make it safer after her toddler’s death, only to lose her second son to gun violence.

Many of you know Shamayim Harris from Highland Park (aka Mama Shu).