Authored by Dr. Jamila Davis, Institute of Research for Social Justice in Action
In March 2026, more than 200 leaders, frontline workers, survivors, outreach professionals and city representatives from across the country gathered in Birmingham, Ala., for the Birmingham Peace Summit. This national convening focused on community violence intervention, workforce development, healing-centered leadership and ecosystem building.
The summit brought together national organizations, local community groups, city leadership and frontline practitioners with a shared goal: to explore how cities can build safer communities through coordinated strategies, cross-sector partnerships and sustained investment in people.
National League of Cities staff participated in and supported the summit, contributing to discussions on how municipalities can strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations and advance more coordinated public safety strategies.
Community Safety Requires an Ecosystem Approach
A central takeaway from the summit is that violence prevention cannot be addressed through isolated programs or short-term interventions. Sustainable public safety requires an ecosystem approach.
This ecosystem includes city agencies, community-based organizations, credible messengers, outreach workers, workforce development systems, schools and mental health providers working in alignment toward shared outcomes.
While many cities are investing in community safety, these efforts are often fragmented. Programs operate independently, communication across sectors is limited and workforce pathways are not clearly defined. The result is a system that struggles to achieve long-term impact.
The Birmingham Peace Summit highlighted the importance of moving from siloed efforts to coordinated systems. Cities that align resources, establish clear roles and build infrastructure for collaboration are better positioned to prevent violence and sustain progress over time.
Cities can operationalize this approach by integrating violence prevention into public safety planning, aligning funding across departments and strengthening coordination between government agencies and community partners.
Frontline Workers as a Core Public Safety Workforce
Frontline workers are essential to effective violence prevention strategies. Outreach workers, violence interrupters, reentry professionals, survivor leaders and community mentors are actively engaged in preventing harm and stabilizing communities.
They mediate conflicts, respond to incidents, support individuals returning from incarceration and provide mentorship to young people at risk. Many come from the communities most impacted by violence and bring critical lived experience that strengthens trust and effectiveness.
The summit emphasized the need to formally recognize these individuals as part of the public safety workforce.
For cities, this requires investment in structured workforce development systems, including training, certification, career pathways and sustainable compensation. Without these supports, cities risk underutilizing one of their most effective violence prevention assets.
Integrating Healing into Public Safety Strategy
Another key theme of the summit was the role of healing in violence prevention. Many frontline workers are survivors of violence, trauma and incarceration. They often carry the dual responsibility of supporting others while continuing their own healing journeys. This reality has implications for workforce sustainability and effectiveness.
Participants engaged in discussions on trauma-informed leadership, burnout prevention and mental health support. The summit reinforced that investing in the well-being of frontline workers is not separate from public safety strategy — it is a core component of it.
Cities that prioritize healing alongside intervention efforts are better equipped to sustain their workforce and improve long-term outcomes.
Cross-Sector Collaboration and Shared Leadership
The Birmingham Peace Summit created a space for city leaders, national organizations and frontline practitioners to engage in shared learning and collaboration.
Local organizations, including the Offender Alumni Association, Everybody WENS and the Urban League, contributed insights grounded in on-the-ground experience.
This level of cross-sector engagement is essential for building coordinated violence prevention ecosystems. When frontline practitioners are included in strategic conversations alongside policymakers, cities are better positioned to design responsive and effective solutions.
Workforce Development and Ecosystem Implementation
The Institute of Research for Social Justice in Action (IRSJA) supported the summit by facilitating discussions on workforce development, leadership training and ecosystem implementation.
IRSJA works with cities nationwide to strengthen violence prevention infrastructure by developing training programs, building organizational capacity and creating workforce pathways for credible messengers and community practitioners.
The summit served as both a learning convening and a working session, strengthening Birmingham’s local ecosystem while connecting it to a broader national network of cities advancing similar strategies.
Birmingham’s Progress and a Model for Cities
The summit also highlighted Birmingham’s progress in strengthening its violence prevention ecosystem.
Uche Bean, Director of Safety Initiatives for the City of Birmingham, played a key role in coordinating the summit and advancing the city’s strategy. Notably, for the first time, community violence intervention has been included in Birmingham’s city budget. This represents a significant step toward institutionalizing prevention as a long-term public safety strategy.
Birmingham’s approach demonstrates how cities can begin building coordinated ecosystems by aligning leadership, investing in community-based strategies and integrating violence prevention into core public safety systems.
Moving Forward: A Framework for Municipal Leadership
The Birmingham Peace Summit reflects a broader national shift toward community-based, ecosystem-driven approaches to public safety.
Public safety is not built by a single program or department. It is built through coordinated investment in people, partnerships and prevention.
Cities can achieve sustainable reductions in violence by:
- aligning resources
- supporting frontline workers as a professional workforce
- integrating healing into their strategies
As municipalities across the country continue to seek effective approaches to public safety, Birmingham offers a practical example of how ecosystem-based strategies can be implemented at the local level.
The lesson is clear: coordinated, community-centered systems are not an addition to public safety strategy — they are essential to it.
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