Calvetta Berry
A Purposeful Life
Calvetta Berry has been speaking up for a decade. Hers is an insistent voice that speaks from lived experience.
After losing a close friend to gun violence, she was heartbroken and took action.
In 2013, she founded Mothers Against Violence or MAV to advocate against gun violence.
“God gave me a purpose, and it’s MAV,” she tells me as we chatted on a Zoom call last week.
But she’s also found another purpose and that’s working with Creative Visions.
When I ask her about her new role at Creative Visions, she describes it like this: “I’m a Violence Interrupter. We go out and canvas the neighborhoods around Creative Visions. We go out and talk to the kids. We also stop and talk with adults in the neighborhood to see what’s going on.”
Berry is describing the Violence Interruption Program at Creative Visions, which targets youth ages 14-25 who live near Evelyn K. Davis Park and the Drake neighborhood. The programs main purpose is to give youth and communities behavioral tools to lessen conflict that may lead to violence. It also relies on strong collaborative relationships to get the work done.
“This is my way of continuing my activism. I have the backing of Creative Visions, and I am doing my part.”
Doing her part as a violence interrupter also means attending neighborhood association meetings, working with the schools and various community groups, and working directly with youth. She’s been especially active in community talks and youth town halls.
“At Creative Visions, we’ve been attending a lot of meetings due to the recent school shootings.”
She says working directly with youth is the most critical part of her job, and Wednesdays are special days.
“On Wednesdays, we go to Meyer Hall. With my group, we play games and talk. I have a list of questions that we go through. The kids appreciate it. I get so much out of it. This work makes me feel good.”
Creative Visions was founded in 1996 by Ako Abdul Samad. Aaccording to the Creative Visions website, the organization has “enabled thousands of individuals to build stronger lives, stronger families, and stronger communities through its core program of services, which focuses on self, family, and community betterment.”
For more information about the the Violence Interruption Program at Creative Visions, contact 515-244-4003.
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Great story of what’s happening now! Thank you. Especially pleased to hear about the Wednesday’s.
Nice profile. Thanks for introducing us to Calvetta Berry!