Tamar Manasseh is the Founder and President of MASK (Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings). Following the shooting of Lucille Barnes in 2015, Tamar, a mother of two who grew up in Englewood and now lives in Bronzeville, rallied several other mothers and established MASK. In the summer of 2015, she and other parents in the community took to their local corner daily to let everyone know that they’re watching.

MASK’s purpose is to put eyes on the streets, interrupt violence and crime, and teach children to grow up as friends rather than enemies. Its primary mission is to build stronger communities through a focus on violence prevention, food insecurity and housing. Additionally, MASK partners to ensure that community members have access to necessary city services, opportunities for education and professional skills growth, and economic development.

Tamar has also helped launch MASK initiatives in other Chicago neighborhoods, as well as cities throughout the nation, including Evansville, Indiana, Staten Island, New York, and Memphis, Tennessee.