The reason Shawn Muhammad is effective as an anti-violence advocate is because of how he feels for those he’s helping – especially the perpetrators of violence – said Antonia Norton, his boss of more than 25 years.
“He loves them, and they know he loves them. He loves them, and he models what he’s talking about,” said Norton, who hired Muhammad in 1999 at The Asha Project.
The project supports both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence and intimate partner violence.
Muhammad wears an eclectic mix of other hats – minister, rapper, veteran, father, grandfather – throughout the city.
Regardless of the role, however, Muhammad tries to find a way to give love to the people he meets, hoping to unite them together.
‘A child of Milwaukee’
He describes himself simply as “a child of Milwaukee.”
He grew up on the North Side, went to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and, aside from a stint in the Army, has spent his whole life in the city.
The Asha Project “is like a platform that I can use to serve,” he said. “Because I want to serve. I want to be there in my community. Stop some of this violence that’s going on, raise awareness. I want to do that.”
Today, Asha serves domestic abuse survivors, those who have been sex trafficked or sexually assaulted and perpetrators of abuse, among other services.
Muhammad views Asha as Norton’s ministry and his work there as a calling – a calling to help people of color in Milwaukee who are caught up in various cycles of violence.
“Sometimes there are dynamics, intangibles of culture, religion, you know, things like that, that maybe somebody outside of the culture can’t relate to,” he said.
As he talks about the people he helps, he tends to use words like “our” and “we.” He does the same thing when talking about authorities, officials and city representatives he collaborates with for his work with Asha.
He has met with Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, who “is from this community,” Shawn said. “He’s invested in this community, and you can tell. We know some of the same people. I’m born and raised here – a child of Milwaukee – and so is he.”
“That does make a difference.”
Sometimes Muhammad literally walks door-to-door simply to promote a community code of conduct, which he adapted from the pledge taken at the Million Man March in 1995, outlining steps community members can take to make their neighborhoods healthier and safer.
Muhibb Dyer, founder of I Will NOT Die Young Campaign, is a longtime collaborator with Muhammad.
The organization serves at-risk youths in schools and correctional facilities, with the aim of helping them “see the value in their lives, to steer clear of at-risk behavior, which could ultimately contribute to their untimely demise, self-destruction, incarceration or continued incarceration,” Dyer said.
Like Norton, Dyer believes that the unique gift Muhammad brings to this work is his ability to practice what he preaches.
All in the family
For all his work in the community, Shawn is, ironically, an introvert and homebody, said his wife, Melissa Muhammad.
His home is a full one.
When they married, Melissa had three kids, Shawn had three kids, and they have since had three more kids.
Muhammad also loves watching movies and traveling, and the other hats he wears – student minister at his mosque and rapper – give him other outlets and modes of expression.
His stage name is Gat Turner, and he plans to release a digital project he’s been working on.
The love and energy Shawn puts into the people around him comes back to him, Melissa said.
For all that love – to and from Shawn – he is not sparing with his criticism of the city he grew up in. However, that criticism comes from love, too.
“It’s really a joke to even refer to this as a community,” he said. “In the word ‘community’ is the word ‘unity.’ We don’t look at each other as brothers or sisters or neighbors. We don’t. People live on a block for years and don’t even know the people next door.”
