Gun violence is its own epidemic. We all choose what we're willing to do.

At a recent rally at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center, community members from the 32nd, 47th and 16th Wards outlined the initiatives they believe will stop the violence and improve the quality of life in their communities.

Last year, the Office of Violence Prevention injected almost $1 million into community groups working on gun violence. How those groups have pivoted, and the resonances with the 1918 pandemic are the focus of this long read.

Men Who Care began life as a neighborhood cleanup initiative in 2011. Now the group facilitates anti-violence programs, runs virtual learning pods for students during COVID, and holds a weekly food pantry, among many other initiatives.

The Credible Messengers Reporting Project hopes to pair journalists with trusted community members in a collaboration that can help move the needle on gun violence in Philadelphia.

Roughly 10 weeks have passed since guest columnist Brian Villa left the southern border, but the impact of what he witnessed remains. At the holiday table, he and his family will set an empty place as a reminder and call to action.

Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting: "We hope our reporting colleagues find this resource helpful and we never forget that each and every entry represents a real person."

"We wanted to create a space where community could be with each other and process the tragedies that occurred," says Miguel Andrade of Juntos.

"People underestimate the amount of stress that men of color are going through," says Edwin Desamour, the dean at John B. Stetson Charter. And, he adds, even those going through it underestimate its impact.