Doris Truss and her daughter Aisha Truss-Miller have spent their lives watching violence escalate in Chicago.

While Aisha was growing up, Doris did her best to set an example by making sure her daughter was involved in activities that kept her off the streets. Aisha followed her mother’s example by becoming a community organizer, focused on combating youth violence through arts, education, and self care. She reached out to teens in her neighborhood, including her cousin, Leonard “Man-Man” Truss.

Despite their best efforts, violence still hit too close to home.

Aisha says soon after the violence struck, there were vigils and an outpouring of support, and she was able to feel love from the community. But at first, she had a different reaction. Listen to the audio above to find out what happened. 

NOTE: This interview was recorded in collaboration with Affinity Community Services, a station partner. Katie Klocksin and Adam Peindl helped produce this report.