Dear friends,
Such a joy to bring Anthony’s life and work to you in this brief story.
Anthony has been engaged in our community and in the life of Citizen 7 for many years. He is an inspiration to us and so many of you. Like the Marion County prosecutor said to us a while back... “We need a dozen more Anthonys in our city. ” Maybe that’s you... here, though, you get to hear from our friend, the one and only Anthony Beverly!
Happy summer!
Don & Greg
Such a joy to bring Anthony’s life and work to you in this brief story.
Anthony has been engaged in our community and in the life of Citizen 7 for many years. He is an inspiration to us and so many of you. Like the Marion County prosecutor said to us a while back... “We need a dozen more Anthonys in our city. ” Maybe that’s you... here, though, you get to hear from our friend, the one and only Anthony Beverly!
Happy summer!
Don & Greg
BACKGROUND
Imagine for a minute what it feels like to a 10-year-old boy in Indianapolis watching people gunned down in your neighborhood. To get caught in crossfire and survive. To have a sawed-off shotgun held to your head and survive. Then imagine the same 10-year-old going to his knees beside his bed and asking God what is going on and what he’s supposed to do about it.
“What’s my assignment, God?” That was Anthony Beverly’s question at age 10 – and that is still his question today.
God did answer him even as a young teen, pointing him in a direction he’s never deviated far from. He was tapped in the early 80s at age 17 by an Indianapolis community activist (now a criminal defense attorney in Philadelphia) Bert Elmore, to lead a youth task force on the effects of crack cocaine. As part of the project, underwritten by Lilly Endowment, the teens went to Philadelphia and Harlem to visit drug treatment facilities, and then interviewed people locally before submitting their report. What he learned still fuels his passion to pull people from the fire.
He grew up in an area of Indy similar to today’s Far Eastside, graduating from Crispus Attucks High School and attaining his bachelor’s in business administration from Tennessee State University while single-parenting two sons. Ultimately, he moved back to Indianapolis in 2005, started doing outreach, and got the vision for Stop the Violence Indianapolis (STVI). It officially launched in 2007 and became a non-profit in 2010.
He wonders sometimes why he’s a bit of a loner, and it’s a complicated question. Perhaps it’s his story, or perhaps it’s his location that keeps others from linking arms and keeping him company. Maybe it’s just the way God made him, but whatever the truth, he is a loner. He likes to stay in the background and push others forward. And he feels his calling deeply to work one-on-one with young men, ages 16 to 30, who grow up in the same context he did, where hustling becomes a way of life when kids can’t find food or shelter or safety.
Among other things, STVI consists of life coaching, which he differentiates from mentoring, advising, or even discipling. “It’s about searching for and asking the right question, then shutting up so the kids can talk,” he says. “It’s about listening well and finding the gifts given to every single human by God, then drawing them out.”
“In the big picture, it’s about connecting the kids to their own reality,” he says. “Nobody knows their story better than they do. I just need to create space where they can share their story and be truthful about it. I tell them, ‘I’m not trying to detect whether you’re lying or not, that’s between you and God. I’m looking for you to make that connection about being truthful with God and yourself.’”
Ultimately the ministry helps these kids get their diploma or GED, child support assistance, or education and skills they need for a particular job, and he’s found they are a lot more likely to stick with goals they set for themselves. His job requires a lot of patience, helping them name and tackle the steps that lie between them and their goal.
He’s focused on how he can help, and not handicap the kids. “Sometimes it’s just a prayer,” he says, “but sometimes it’s engaging beyond the prayer. I would like to think it’s important, but certainly it’s draining, challenging, and involves blood, sweat, and tears. One major challenge is the struggle of never knowing where funding is coming from.”
His wife, Beatrice (they married in 2009), is also involved with coaching teen girls from 12 to 16 through a program of STVI called “The Talks,” which was recently covered in the Indianapolis Reporter. Beatrice also has her own business, Genesys Solutions, and together they love on a blended family of four sons and three grandbabies.
Many of the kids STVI serves are far behind in their literacy skills, yet Anthony has trouble getting people with the necessary skills to come into these neighborhoods to help. People may want to give money, he says, but that doesn’t solve the issue of really seeing these kids as humans in need of time, love, and patient coaching.
So, of course he’s looking for a few good men and women who meet that description.
To learn more about Stop the Violence Indianapolis, opportunities for volunteers, or Anthony’s vision, visit stoptheviolenceindy.org or contact Anthony at his email address below.
BEVERLY'S IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
ANTHONY BEVERLY TRIVIA
Favorite hobby besides work? Crispus Attucks basketball games
Go to snack? Payday candy bar, but trying to stay away!
Favorite restaurant, locally? His Place Eatery
Favorite places for a vacation? Where the grandkids are
Secret Dream? A world with no racism!
Connect with Anthony Beverly at awbeverly.ab@gmail.com.
Imagine for a minute what it feels like to a 10-year-old boy in Indianapolis watching people gunned down in your neighborhood. To get caught in crossfire and survive. To have a sawed-off shotgun held to your head and survive. Then imagine the same 10-year-old going to his knees beside his bed and asking God what is going on and what he’s supposed to do about it.
“What’s my assignment, God?” That was Anthony Beverly’s question at age 10 – and that is still his question today.
God did answer him even as a young teen, pointing him in a direction he’s never deviated far from. He was tapped in the early 80s at age 17 by an Indianapolis community activist (now a criminal defense attorney in Philadelphia) Bert Elmore, to lead a youth task force on the effects of crack cocaine. As part of the project, underwritten by Lilly Endowment, the teens went to Philadelphia and Harlem to visit drug treatment facilities, and then interviewed people locally before submitting their report. What he learned still fuels his passion to pull people from the fire.
He grew up in an area of Indy similar to today’s Far Eastside, graduating from Crispus Attucks High School and attaining his bachelor’s in business administration from Tennessee State University while single-parenting two sons. Ultimately, he moved back to Indianapolis in 2005, started doing outreach, and got the vision for Stop the Violence Indianapolis (STVI). It officially launched in 2007 and became a non-profit in 2010.
He wonders sometimes why he’s a bit of a loner, and it’s a complicated question. Perhaps it’s his story, or perhaps it’s his location that keeps others from linking arms and keeping him company. Maybe it’s just the way God made him, but whatever the truth, he is a loner. He likes to stay in the background and push others forward. And he feels his calling deeply to work one-on-one with young men, ages 16 to 30, who grow up in the same context he did, where hustling becomes a way of life when kids can’t find food or shelter or safety.
Among other things, STVI consists of life coaching, which he differentiates from mentoring, advising, or even discipling. “It’s about searching for and asking the right question, then shutting up so the kids can talk,” he says. “It’s about listening well and finding the gifts given to every single human by God, then drawing them out.”
“In the big picture, it’s about connecting the kids to their own reality,” he says. “Nobody knows their story better than they do. I just need to create space where they can share their story and be truthful about it. I tell them, ‘I’m not trying to detect whether you’re lying or not, that’s between you and God. I’m looking for you to make that connection about being truthful with God and yourself.’”
Ultimately the ministry helps these kids get their diploma or GED, child support assistance, or education and skills they need for a particular job, and he’s found they are a lot more likely to stick with goals they set for themselves. His job requires a lot of patience, helping them name and tackle the steps that lie between them and their goal.
He’s focused on how he can help, and not handicap the kids. “Sometimes it’s just a prayer,” he says, “but sometimes it’s engaging beyond the prayer. I would like to think it’s important, but certainly it’s draining, challenging, and involves blood, sweat, and tears. One major challenge is the struggle of never knowing where funding is coming from.”
His wife, Beatrice (they married in 2009), is also involved with coaching teen girls from 12 to 16 through a program of STVI called “The Talks,” which was recently covered in the Indianapolis Reporter. Beatrice also has her own business, Genesys Solutions, and together they love on a blended family of four sons and three grandbabies.
Many of the kids STVI serves are far behind in their literacy skills, yet Anthony has trouble getting people with the necessary skills to come into these neighborhoods to help. People may want to give money, he says, but that doesn’t solve the issue of really seeing these kids as humans in need of time, love, and patient coaching.
So, of course he’s looking for a few good men and women who meet that description.
To learn more about Stop the Violence Indianapolis, opportunities for volunteers, or Anthony’s vision, visit stoptheviolenceindy.org or contact Anthony at his email address below.
BEVERLY'S IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
- GET OUT INTO THE HARSHEST NEIGHBORHOODS. Stop the Violence Indianapolis has trouble getting skilled teachers, other volunteers, and interns to help kids because people are afraid of the circumstances. They’ll say, “I’ll give money but I’m not coming down to work with those guys.” If God has wired you for this challenge and this kind of coaching, Anthony will personally show you what needs to be done. “We need to build our capacity and our team,” he says.
- SPEAK OUT FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. “Everybody wants the best for Indy,” he says, “but sometimes we just talk around righteousness without getting to the core of the issues. We have to be more forthcoming, forthright, and see it from all perspectives without just criminalizing everything instead of dealing with the real issues.”
- PLUG THE HOLES. Just giving someone a job without plugging all the holes that got them where they are isn’t a long term solution. Build into people, especially younger people, whose holes can still be plugged before they become major gaps.
ANTHONY BEVERLY TRIVIA
Favorite hobby besides work? Crispus Attucks basketball games
Go to snack? Payday candy bar, but trying to stay away!
Favorite restaurant, locally? His Place Eatery
Favorite places for a vacation? Where the grandkids are
Secret Dream? A world with no racism!
Connect with Anthony Beverly at awbeverly.ab@gmail.com.
