Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris

Shamayim Harris (born 1965), better known by the nickname Mama Shu, is an American CEO and the founder of the Avalon Village, an eco-village in Highland Park, Michigan.

Personal life In 2007, Harris' two-year-old son, Jakobi Ra, was struck by a car in a hit and run accident while crossing the street with his older brother, Chinyelu. The following year Harris opened the Avalon Village in his honor, which included Jakobi Ra Park.

In 2015, her step-son, Pili Humphrey, died at age 34. Harris heard the gunshots and saw two individuals at the scene. Harris stated that she had to fill out a police report twice because it got lost and that the crime scene was not treated appropriately.

Her nickname, "Mama Shu", is a reference to Shu, the Egyptian god of air.

Harris also founded The Moon Ministry 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization. The Moon Ministry has no connection or affiliation with Hyung Jin Moon's Unification Church.

Avalon Village Harris was motivated to develop the Avalon Village by the death of her son, Jakobi Ra. The eco-village is named after the street it sits on, Avalon Street, located in Highland Park, Michigan. Harris does not have a background in urban planning or development "except for sitting on this porch conjuring up what I want to do on this block, that's it".

The Avalon Village started after Harris purchased a house on the corner of Avalon Street for $3,000, which would be the first of 45 lots that were eventually acquired by Harris in her neighborhood of Highland Park, MI. Over the years, Harris acquired funding through many different avenues to help reach her goal of building the Avalon Village, including selling $5 fish sandwiches. The American rock band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, donated $100,00 through their Big Sun Foundation non-profit. An anonymous donor and former Highland Park resident donated tens of thousands of dollars to help with the completion of the Homework House.

Harris commented while developing building of Avalon Village, “All I care about is how we, as our community, how we are going to uplift ourselves and empower ourselves. We’re just doing what we need to do, just to make things better for ourselves.”

Notable elements of Avalon Village

The Village Hall is located inside a pre-fabricated Cocoon 9 home donated by Ellen Degeneres. The Goddess Marketplace is a storefront for women entrepreneurs to sell their goods. The Homework House is a learning space for youth where they can study, get tutoring, or attend learning activities. There is access to computers, 3D printers, a music studio, and a library. The space also contains a refrigerator and table for dining as well as a washer and dryer for youths to have access to food and clean clothing. The Imhotep STEAM Lab offers technology courses. "My 3 Sunz" basketball court is dedicated to Harris' deceased sons, Jakobi, Pili, and Chinyelu. Harris' future goals for Avalon Village include building a school, café, greenhouse, and a healing center.

Recognition USA Today: Woman of the Year, 2024 CNN Heroes: Top Ten, 2023 Rainbow-Push Coalition: Let Freedom Ring Humanitarian Award, 2023 Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency: Champion Award, 2019 eWomen Network: Humanitarian of Year Award, 2016