Macon Magazine

achieving various promotions, but she wanted more. "I wanted to pursue a master's degree, and after applying to several schools, I was offered a full scholarship at McAfee School of eology," she said. "It has been a transformational experience; my faith has been an anchor in my life during both the dark times and the moments of celebration." In spring 2019, Davis experienced one of those celebratory moments when she was selected to participate in the Race, Equity and Leadership in Education (REAL) program at Harvard University. Davis' Harvard cohort consisted of 150 members; she was one of only two from Georgia. To be considered for acceptance, participants submitted an application that included a series of essay questions about their communities. "I talked about race, equity and leadership in Macon-Bibb County," she said. "It's an exciting time in our community, and I believe the program training will help enhance the services being provided here." Designed to address inequity in schools, which creates barriers to learning, REAL introduced Davis to the effects of poverty and trauma on cognitive dissonance. She brought new insights back to Macon, and now Davis is working on developing a project to address this matter in adolescent and teen girls. ADVOCATING FOR HER COMMUNITY Her experiences at Harvard and McAfee led Davis to form the People's Advocacy Group Inc. (PAG), a nonprofit that focuses on community accountability, citizens' rights, civic engagement and restoring cultural identity. e organization's name has significant meaning for Davis. "Oftentimes, we will do things for individuals and never teach them how to do it for themselves. So, I wanted this organization – e People's Advocacy Group – to focus on empowering people about their rights, along with their responsibilities in a community," she said. Toward that end, it was in February 2019 that Davis had the opportunity to work with several other community leaders to assist the residents of Crystal Lake Apartments in Macon. "e residents of Crystal Lake represented the working poor, individuals with disabilities and children," Davis said. "It was a situation where the residents were being taken advantage of, and there were many systemic failures that led to them being evacuated on a Friday afternoon without a concrete plan of action. Many of those residents are still incurring the ripple effect of that day." Davis helped organize relief efforts for the residents, and said more than 20 families received help from community organizations. Support for the Crystal Lake community was part of a "community miracle," according to Davis. She recalled being at home and seeing a live feed on Facebook about the residents having one hour to leave the complex. She decided to go to the apartment community to see what she could do to help. "When I arrived, there were two elected officials on site, representatives from the school district, fire department and some very upset residents," she said. Another community activist, Registered & Ready's Marshall Talley was there, too. Together, Talley and Davis spoke to residents and secured six hotel rooms for temporary lodging. "en a community miracle happened – our friends, family, churches and community philanthropy groups started to give, and we were able to secure 21 rooms," she said, adding that they maintained those rooms for up to 33 days while helping residents transition to permanent housing. "We called ourselves the Community Coalition. We were an unofficial group of leaders caring about the working residents of our community." RIPPLE EFFECT REACHES OTHERS Davis' life experiences have played a significant role in shaping the woman she's become. "I've had a lot of pain, disappointments, depression and failures," she said. "But those things do not have to define who you will become. e emotional trauma can be challenging when your life starts out rocky – and a lot of people do not recover. "I know there were gaps in services and community support in the early stages of my life. But I knew I had to give back and be in a position to give hope to others and advocate for those who may not have a voice. We must all create a community that is equitable and enjoyable for everyone." at happens, she said, by not ignoring the real challenges our community faces. "It is my desire to use my life to impact the lives of others," she said. "I am a social justice advocate and love issues dealing with race, diversity, equity, economic inclusion and community building." Part of that impact is the ripple effect Davis' good works have had on the community. One of the members of that community is former Crystal Lake resident Tiffany Young. e mother of eight children was among those displaced from the complex. "Sheknita Davis found out about my situation, and she didn't just try to fix it, she did much more," Young said. "I could actually feel the pain she had for me. She helped us as best she could, getting gift cards for food, making sure my kids had clothes. To this day, she'll help out any way she can when there's a need." But it's not just Davis' good works that have impacted Young and so many others. "She's a true role model – it just melts my heart," Young said. "She is so real; she knows "IT IS MY DESIRE TO USE MY LIFE TO IMPACT THE LIVES OF OTHERS." -SHEKNITA DAVIS F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 0 | M ACO N M AG A Z I N E.CO M 4 3

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