In One of America’s Safest Cities, We Lost Someone Who Made Us Feel Safe

Yesterday morning, I saw a press release by our city’s police department in our neighborhood group chat. It was about a domestic violence case. I see a lot of those on social media everyday. Since it was our community chat, I zoomed in to look for any identifying information.

Martha, my friend and a Bilingual Community Liaison in our county’s public school system, was killed by her husband before he took his own life.

This post is to celebrate Martha and the kind, emotionally intelligent and most importantly a charismatic community organizer that she was. She was one of the people who made living 8000 miles away from “my home” India bearable for me.

Her job was to make schools welcoming places for families from different backgrounds. For my children and me, it felt like she had turned that mission into reality. She made school feel like a place of belonging, love, and global citizenship.

Years ago, her very first email to me read:

“I am so excited to work with you this year and look forward to doing more things with the Indian community.”

She checked in with parents from different cultures and communities. She asked us about festivals she should recognize. She wanted to know how families celebrated. She wanted everyone to feel seen.

One email seeking volunteers began with the same message repeated in language after language:

“Necesitamos tu ayuda. Nós precisamos da sua ajuda. 我们需要你的帮助. 君の力が必要なんだ. हमें आपकी सहायता की आवश्यकता है.”

Another invitation reassured parents:

“You don’t have to know how to speak English :-) If you know your ABCs and 123s—we would love to have you!”

She created bulletin boards celebrating the countries our children came from. She organized Heritage Nights. She brought together parent representatives from every corner of the world and told us:

“I’d love for all of us to meet as a group. I’d love for you to know each other too.”

That was Martha. She was not doing just any job, she was building communities.

My kids moved onto middle and high schools and I lost touch with her. Although, I haven’t spoken to her in 4 years, I knew she was doing great things in the community. I didn’t want this post to be about domestic violence and access to guns, two topics that are serious enough to have their own deep empathetic discussions.

My heart breaks for her children, who now face a future shaped by an unimaginable tragedy. Reading the comments beneath the police report, I was struck by how many adults still carry vivid memories of violence they witnessed as children decades ago. The trauma remain long after the press releases disappear.

Our city, Johns Creek, is rated among the safest cities in America. The same safety of love and belonging that I felt during those years my kids went to the school that Martha was the coordinator for.

Martha made it her life’s work to make strangers like me feel less alone. She was a bridge builder and she was constantly ensuring we all felt safe through her words and actions.

We couldn’t do that for her in return.

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Her Emails: 

Here are some emails from her and a few of the events around our community that she would organize.

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SUBJECT: Reaching out to Indian Families this year

Rachana,

Good afternoon. I hope that you are doing well and that your family has transitioned smoothly back to school.
I am so excited to work with you this year and look forward to doing more things with the Indian community.

To kick start everything I was thinking that we could have an Indian family meeting.
I have blocked on Monday, August 28th at 9am. Hopefully, this works for you.

I’d love for you to come in and meet with me before the big parent meeting, so that we can discuss the vision for the year.
When’s a good time for you? I’m here MWF all day.

I look forward to hearing from you!

————————————–

SUBJECT: End of the School Year Volunteers Needed

Holladay, Martha <holladaym@fultonschools.org>
Tue, Apr 25, 2017, 12:40 PM

Dear Parents,

Necesitamos tu ayuda. Nós precisamos da sua ajuda. 我们需要你的帮助。君の力が必要なんだ. हमें आपकी सहायता की आवश्यकता है। మాకు మీ సహాయం కావాలి. Yardımına ihtiyacımız var.Nous avons besoin de votre aide.학부모님들의 도움이 필요합니다.

End of School is near and we need everyone’s help. What a great way to end the school year!

Please sign up for any of the events that you can at the links below. If this is your first time volunteering, please make sure that you are also registered through the volunteer registration website with Fulton County. There are 2 parts to this. After you fill out your name, you MUST finish the questions to be registered in the system.

http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/sup/comm/Pages/VolunteerTraining.aspx

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SUBJECT: End of the Year Volunteers needed in our Library

Dear Parents,

With the Last Day of School near, there is lots to be done in our library.
Would you volunteer a little of your time?

You don’t have to know how to speak English :-)

If you know your ABCs and 123s- we would love to have you! Kids love to see their parents at school!

———————————–

CULTURES OF MBES BULLETIN BOARD

Our Bilingual Community Liaison, Martha Holladay, is creating a new bulletin board located at the front of the school, right beside the library. The board will highlight all the different countries our student body represents. If you would like your child to be highlighted, please send a picture of your child and the information below to school through your child’s teacher (ATTN: Martha Holladay). If you have any questions, you may contact Martha at holladaym@fultonschools.org.

Student Name:
Country:
Language Spoken:
Favorite Fun Fact:

Please send in a picture of the student with the following questions answered.
1. What country are you and/or your family from?
2. What language is spoken in the country?
3. Tell us a fun fact about the country.

Example
1. USA
2. English
3. The most popular vegetable in the USA is the potato!

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SUBJECT: Celebrating Diwali during Staff meeting

Hey ladies,

As previously discussed, the Indian community is in charge of doing Staff Snacks for our Staff Meeting on Tuesday, October 24th.

Remember you have a budget of $200. The mom that usually prepare the Staff Snacks starts setting up at 1pm. She prepares for about 75 people.
She also does beverages. Coke, Sprite, Diet Coke, Water and always a dessert.

Please let me know who is going to be handling this. I’ll put that person in touch with the Staff Snacks chairperson :-)

Thanks for being so involved with MBES!

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SUBJECT: International Parent Representative Meeting

Holladay, Martha <holladaym@fultonschools.org>
Fri, Nov 10, 2017, 12:10 PM
to Jorge, Sirjan, me, Angela, Yingtao, Sarang, Brandon

Dear Parents,

As we get ready for Heritage Night on January 25th, I’d love for all of us to meet as a group.
I’d love for you to know each other too!

————————-

SUBJECT: Dear International Family Representatives,

We need your help! Our school is looking for so silent auction items to be donated from the community. We need your help in reaching out to your specific communities.

Could you help? We would like new a creative items :-)

Examples of Silent Auction Donations and Possibilities
– Gift Card or FREE items to Restaurant or Business
o The new Indian restaurant in the same shopping center as Great Harvest?
o The new Korean restaurant, Ari in Regal movie theater shopping center?
o HMart?
o Wei Do? Chinese Restaurant?
o Pine Straw delivery place next to the car dealer on 141? Pinestraw delivery?
o Kabob-ish?
o Tofu House?
o Vincent Bakery?

– Dinner for 2 Certificate to a Restaurant
– FREE Lesson
o Piano lessons?
o Indian Traditional Dance?
o Singapore Math Tutor place?

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5×7 or 8×10 RUG NEEDED!

Our Bilingual Community Liaison, Martha Holladay, needs a 5×7 or 8×10 rug in her workspace at Medlock Bridge Elementary. If any parents have a rug at home they wouldn’t mind donating to the school, Ms. Holladay would be most appreciative! Please email her at holladaym@fultonschools.org. Thanks in advance.

– 0 –

What Will You Do? 

If you’ve got one chance to make a dent in the universe. 

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~ Anais Nin