“Love is what makes the world go around. I know it’s a big cliche to use, but it is the absolute truth. There is nothing else like it. I know that is what everybody is striving to feel in relationships, in brother and sisterhood, and in all of the things that we aspire to have in our lives.”
— Gladys Knight
Tansy (far left) with members of the Chicago CARE team and fellow attendees at the 2026 Alternative Response Convening
Yesterday, June 13, marked eight years since 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms was founded—and what a journey it’s been.
What began in 2018 as a bold vision to help end police violence within a generation has grown into a national movement for safer, more compassionate crisis response.
Along the way, we’ve built resources where none existed, supported families navigating unimaginable loss, helped connect thousands of people to non-police crisis response programs, and worked alongside advocates, practitioners, and community leaders committed to reimagining how we care for one another.
We’ve celebrated victories, navigated challenges, and watched ideas once considered ambitious become real solutions in communities across the country.
This anniversary feels especially meaningful because it comes a week after the Advancing the Field of Alternative Response Convening in Chicago.
For the third year, 1M4 joined practitioners, policymakers, advocates, researchers, and community leaders at this important event in Chicago. The annual gathering has become an important space for the people building crisis response systems to share lessons, strengthen relationships, and shape the future of the field together.
This year’s theme, Establishing Permanence, focused on a pivotal moment for crisis response. Across the country, communities are increasingly recognizing that not every emergency requires a law enforcement response. Programs staffed by clinicians, peer responders, mediators, and other trained professionals are proving that care-centered responses can save lives and better meet people’s needs during moments of crisis.
As these programs continue to grow, the conversation is shifting from whether they belong to how we ensure they last.
Tansy (far right) with fellow attendees, including members of the inaugural AMSA Empowered Leadership Cohort Fall 2025
Throughout the two-day convening, attendees explored what it will take to strengthen and sustain the field for years to come—from workforce development and shared standards to stronger partnerships, professional support systems, and opportunities for collaboration.
The conversations reflected a growing reality: community crisis response is no longer a niche idea or pilot project. It is becoming an essential part of how communities promote safety, wellness, and care.
What We Owe Each Other In Crisis
One of the most impactful moments of the convening was the opening fireside conversation, What We Owe Each Other in Crisis.
Tansy (far right) with fellow attendees, including members of the inaugural AMSA Empowered Leadership Cohort Fall 2025
Our founder, Tansy McNulty, joined Taun Hall, co-founder of The Miles Hall Foundation, and Melissa McKee for a powerful discussion on lived experience, healing, advocacy, and the future of care-centered crisis response.
After losing her son, Miles Hall, during a mental health crisis in 2019, Taun transformed profound grief into action. Her story serves as a moving reminder that behind every policy conversation are real people, real families, and real communities seeking better outcomes during moments of crisis.
Together, the panelists reflected on what meaningful support looks like when people are at their most vulnerable, the importance of listening to those with lived experience, and the responsibility we all share in building systems rooted in dignity, compassion, and care.
Beyond the sessions themselves, this gathering offered something equally valuable: connection. It brought together people from across the nation who are working toward the same goal from different angles—responders, advocates, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders united by a belief that better responses are possible.
On the ground with Chicago CARE
Another highlight of our time in Chicago was the opportunity to see crisis response in action.
Tansy spent time with the Chicago CARE (Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement) team, learning more about how the city’s non-police crisis response program supports residents.
In the video below, she shares reflections from the convening and takes us behind the scenes for an inside look at the CARE program. From a walkthrough of one of the response vans to conversations with team members about their approach, the experience offered a firsthand look at what compassionate, community-centered crisis response can look like in practice.
https://www.instagram.com/tansymcnulty/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=AK0hEiGBPkSeiZGTKZtNXjQ
As 1M4 celebrates eight years of impact, we’re reminded that meaningful change is built one relationship, conversation, and solution at a time. The progress we’ve made since 2018 would not have been possible without the supporters, partners, funders, families, and advocates who continue showing up for this work year after year.
We’re grateful to be part of this movement.
Your Sistas Through It All,
The Ladies of 1M4
Article of the Week
The recent acquittal of a South Carolina store owner in the 2023 death of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a 14-year-old Black boy, has reopened painful conversations about race and justice. Prosecutors argued that the store owner, Chikei Rick Chow, chased and shot Cyrus after wrongly suspecting him of shoplifting, while the defense maintained he acted to protect his son. The jury ultimately found Chow not guilty of murder.
The verdict has drawn renewed attention to broader questions of racial disparities in the justice system, particularly as many compare it to the case of Karmelo Anthony, a Black Texas teen who received a 35-year prison sentence for the death of Austin Metcalf, a white teenager.
While the circumstances of the two cases differ, their outcomes have sparked debates about whether justice, accountability, and public sympathy are applied differently when the victim is Black versus when they’re white.
For Black women and maternal figures, these stories hit especially hard. We remember Cyrus as someone’s child whose life was cut short, and we see Karmelo as another young Black life now facing decades behind bars. Many in our community are holding both griefs at once—mourning a child’s passing and another whose future has been irrevocably changed.
The larger question remains: what would it look like for every child to be seen first as someone’s son, nephew, godchild, or beloved child before fear, bias, or assumptions take hold?
A mental health tip for you
Here’s another music-related tip: when you feel overwhelmed, put on a 3-song “downshift” sequence—first song matches your mood, second is slightly calmer, third is noticeably slower or more instrumental. Don’t skip or shuffle. Let it move you in order.
It’s a small structure, but it helps your body ease out of high stress instead of staying stuck in it.
Spread Some Blessings!
The consequences of police violence extend far beyond the loss of life. For families affected, it’s the loss of income, the sacrifice of basic necessities, and the start of a high-cost legal fight. If you have the capacity, consider donating to 1M4. Proceeds help support impacted families and sustain the work of 1M4 toward ending police violence for good.
This summer, 1M4 is hosting a series of Sunset Walks across multiple cities as part of our fundraising campaign.
Each walk, taking place in cities including Nashville, Northern Virginia, Jackson, Charlotte, Detroit, and Atlanta, will bring together community members for an evening of connection and collective action.
Together, we’re raising funds to support 1M4’s ongoing work building tools, advocacy, and support systems that advance care-centered crisis response across the country.
More details, city-specific info, and links coming soon! Mark your calendars for August 15th.
As we focus on bringing our TV series to life, we continue to uplift the work of trusted community partners. On our website, you’ll find upcoming events hosted by these organizations so you can stay connected to the resources, conversations, and support you need.
To make sure our community has the tools to stay safe and support each other, our Founder, Tansy, holds weekly office hours to answer questions and walk members through 1M4’s safety resources.
No registration needed. Just join 1M4 via the button below, then hop into our online convos at 12 PM ET every Tuesday.
Got a pressing question? Send an email to info@1m4.org, and we’ll get back to you before the next session.
Cheat Sheet for Recognizing Black Women
This guidance is shared by Dr. Kimber Shelton, whose work continues to center the importance of culturally responsive approaches to mental health and well-being for Black women.
Below is a cheat sheet of awareness events and programs tailored for Black women, offering ways to better recognize, support, and center us throughout the year.
Ok so… we’re on TikTok now! Follow, engage, and rep 1M4 over there. We’re doing our best to reach the people.
Help some Sistas out!
You Got Your 1M4 Merch Yet?
Visit the 1M4 merch store to make sure you’re representing at court support, protests, or in line at your favorite coffee spot. We want to see YOU in your 1M4 gear. Every purchase goes directly to funding the work of 1M4 increasing access to safety and wellness.
