This summer, I had the privilege of visiting Ferguson with the organization Unity Earth for a project called “Meeting in the Middle – Fields of Healing.” We were invited by the mayor, the police and fire departments, and the UnGun Institute of St Louis and Ferguson.
You’ve probably heard of Ferguson in Missouri. The city became known worldwide in 2014 after the death of Michael Brown, and from there, the phrase “Hands up, don’t shoot” and the Black Lives Matter movement spread across the nation.
Let me share, what had let up to it. Imagine with me two boys, each about seven years old, both growing up in the predominantly African American community of Ferguson.
Mitchel’s Story – A Path of Healing
At seven years old, Mitchel was spotted dancing the moonwalk by a woman who founded an organization to support African American children through the arts. She saw something special in him. She reached out to his parents, encouraging them to support his talent. With their help, Mitchel pursued dance classes.
By the time he turned eighteen, he was well on his way to becoming a dancer. Now, in his mid-twenties, Mitchel has just been awarded a scholarship at a Los Angeles School of Dance.
Healed people heal.
Michael’s Story – A Cycle of Hurt
Another boy, also seven years old, was Michael. His childhood was challenging: his parents separated, instability at home through alternately living with his mother, father and paternal grandmother, and struggles at school. Despite it all, Michael managed to graduate with his class.
But in the summer of 2014, when he was eighteen, Michael’s life took a tragic turn. A convenience store security video captures Michael pushing a clerk into a display case as he steals a pack of cigars. Soon afterwards, after a brief encounter with a police officer, Michael was shot and killed. His body remained in the street for four long hours, igniting outrage in Ferguson and beyond.
The very next day, residents gathered in protest, chanting the words that would echo across America: “Hands up, don’t shoot.” His death became a catalyst for a national reckoning on race, policing, and justice.
Hurt people hurt.
Cycles of Hurt and Healing
Ten years later, on the anniversary of Michael’s death, protests again filled the streets. In the turmoil, a police officer was knocked to the ground and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was placed in a medically induced coma, underwent multiple surgeries, and is still on the long road of rehabilitation, relearning how to walk, speak, and move.
Hurt people hurt.
Stepping Into Healing
Now, in August 2025, the city of Ferguson, in partnership with the UnGun Institute, the mayor’s office, and the police and fire departments, invited Unity Earth and peace leaders from around the world to participate in a program called “Meeting in the Middle.”
It is the 11th anniversary of Michael’s death, one year after the police officer’s injury and the 5th Annual International Holiday of Black SON Day, a movement for restoration, reconciliation, healing, and renewal to promote black empowerment.
Together, locals, global participants from the U.S., Australia, Europe, Mexico, and Canada, joined in a peace walk to the Ferguson Peace Pole. Police officers walked side-by-side with community members, the international delegation bearing witness. At the pole, engraved with the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” 195 flags, one for every nation of the world were raised. “May Peace Prevail in Ferguson.”
Can you imagine how it felt for Ferguson’s police officers to walk with the very community so long divided from them? Or what it meant for community members to see leaders from around the globe honoring Ferguson as part of one human family?
Dancing Toward Renewal
That day, Mitchel, now in his mid-20th, performed a dance that moved hearts and souls. In announcing his scholarship to Los Angeles, he became a living testament to the truth:
Healed people heal. Hurt people hurt.
Hurt cycles repeat; healing cycles renew.
Healing is not just personal, it is intergenerational. When pain remains unresolved, it too often gets passed down and inflicted again. A path of healing doesn’t just mean, healing ourselves, we create ripples of renewal for generations to come, in the family, community, the world.
Through healing and self-awareness, the cycle can be broken. New stories of peace, justice, and hope unfold.
