For a week I have been reflecting on my church sermon from this past Sunday. The story has stuck with me as I have navigated personal changes and challenges as well as the challenges of loved ones.The sermon was on Deuteronomy 34, speaking about the death of Moses and how there was a time to grieve, and then time to work in the spirit of what he had passed on to Joshua.Now, in this same week, I went to the Greater Louisville Project release of their Safer City By Design Report which did an in depth (and staggering) review of Louisville in comparison to its peer cities in the area of youth violence.Read, learn and then take actionThis is not my report, and I hope all due respect is given to those within GLP who worked hard to compile this data and then distill it down to a palatable format so that we can discern the magnitude of what they studied. I hope everyone goes to look at the work they did, and I further hope you are then moved to action.While I won’t go into all of the data, there were parts that really hit me and are worth highlighting. The fact that since the pandemic began 1 out of 294 Louisville residents died from COVID-19, and in 2021, 1 out of every 252 young Black men in Louisville were murdered—well that one hurt. A lot. As we socially distanced and masked up, what did we do to protect young Black men from the even larger pandemic they were facing?More:Juvenile justice bill to reopen Louisville detention center clears House committeeThe data represents our murdered neighbors, not just numbersThe report went on to show that of the 60 young people killed, 55 of the 60 were Black with 48 being young Black men. As birthdays pile on, I don’t think I fit into this demo any longer, but I surely identify with it. We all should. Because these are our neighbors, these are our friends and family.These are not numbers. It is hard to conceptualize just how bleak this feels from our perspective but let me say this—it’s terrifying. Remember when we closed public spaces and completely modified the way of life for millions to slow the spread? How do we slow this spread because, to be completely honest, I’m scared. Apathy is easier when it seems the system wants you to fail. To drive home that point, Louisville also ranked the worst among its peers for Black disconnected youth, the CDC term for those not working and not in school.The report's release felt grim. It stung. For a lot of us, however, it was nothing new. It was just a recitation of what we have been seeing and saying for years. But for many in the room, it was a shock, and it was painful.For Subscribers:By the numbers: Who are the Kentucky kids in juvenile detention and how did they get there?We can mourn but we must also take actionNow, this is where the sermon kept playing in my mind. I view this report as a catalyst, much like the death of Moses. Yes, we mourn it. And after we mourn, we get to work and address the issues highlighted in this report.GLP (and seriously thank all of them) did the legwork to identify key issues and explained in significant detail the intricacies of the problems. Now we need to galvanize leaders to take that and run with it.So many people feel they are helpless in this fight, but you aren’t. I promise you. It only takes one person to start an initiative and when someone else joins it becomes a movement. The marching orders are there, and there are plenty of people on the ground who can help connect those with resources and the will to help with the needs they see as vital. It just takes the doing-it part.My hope is that people take these data points and the stories behind them and get to know the communities impacted. Not just the numbers on a page, but the faces and families they can represent. It is a great starting point to have the information and the feelings they evoke—but the best churches don’t just preach a good word and send you home, they preach a good word and commit good works within the communities they serve. Then, and only then, are the churches ingrained into the fiber of the community.This report (seriously go read it) highlighted the worst of us, but not the whole of us. It was a sad day for the city in its release, but now is the time to move past mourning and towards a better tomorrow.Terrance Sullivan is the former Executive Director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights (KCHR). KCHR is the state agency charged with enforcing the Kentucky Civil Rights Act. He is employed by the US House of Representatives. Terrance is also a member of The Courier Journal's Advisory Board.

Old Town Louisville’s skyline will change as the sign for The Empire Lounge and Restaurant comes down after nearly 15 years in business.The Empire announced on social media that the restaurant will close and its last day would be Saturday. Jim Cohen and his daughter, Lexi Scott, opened The Empire in 2008, and Jeff Osaka became a partial owner in 2019 with Ken Wolf. Osaka stepped away from the business partnership in late 2022, and a local chef was going to partner with Wolf. However, Osaka said that “the cards were already dealt against them” as keeping the restaurant running was tough. The Empire Lounge, which opened its doors in Downtown Louisville in 2008, is closing on Saturday. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer) “I was only in charge for a few years, but The Empire has a soft spot in my heart. You know, I love Louisville,” Osaka said. The Empire served “elevated American classics,” according to front of house manager Emma Hempen, who has been working at the restaurant for more than a year. Hempen said that The Empire is like eating at a nice American diner in New York during the 1980s. The restaurant had American classics, from a steak and frites meal to a traditional Coloradan Coors Light beer. Osaka described the restaurant as “Americana” and the go-to place for many Louisville residents. Osaka said that he has been receiving many messages from Louisville residents saying that they will miss The Empire. He said that The Empire hosted many graduation parties, bridal showers and other celebrations and the restaurant will live on in those happy memories. He added that he has even received messages from people who no longer live in the area, thanking the restaurant for their happy moments and saying goodbye. Hempen said that since the closure announcement, many residents have been coming in to get their last moment in the restaurant. She also said that the approximately 25 staff members are keeping their heads up despite the closure. “We’re in a place where we are sad, but really proud of the work that we did,” Hempen said. Hempen said that she watched the restaurant go “from a very dark place to a brighter place,” through surviving pandemic lockdowns and a temporary closure due to the Marshall Fire. Osaka said that maintaining the restaurant became difficult after the two events. Hempen said that despite the restaurants best efforts, business became unpredictable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Osaka said that the restaurant had to close for a few months because of the pandemic but slowly reopened following city-mandated, social-distancing restrictions. He said that business was good once restrictions were being lifted slowly and 2021 was a good year. However, The Empire had to close for almost two weeks due to the Marshall Fire. Osaka said that any business that had to use water had to close as the city had to make sure the water was not contaminated after the fire. Osaka said that the restaurant still had a lot of food in the restaurant during that closure and did not want it to go to waste, so the restaurant had a soup kitchen. The Empire gave out soups, stews and bread for fire survivors and the community. He said that while the closure hurt the restaurant, The Empire staff were happy to help the community. Osaka said that the restaurant being dealt those blows took its toll. He also said that The Empire is one of the largest restaurant’s in Louisville at 5,000 square feet with a huge basement as well. He said that the big space meant a lot of moving parts. Hempen said that recently there was a silent disco dance party at The Empire that she really enjoyed. She said that the party gave staff headphones to join in on the silent disco. She said that the staff was able to get together and dance their hearts out one last time. “Anytime, that we as the staff, were able to spend time with each other was super, super special,” Hempen said. Osaka said that Saturday evening, he will thank all the staff for their hard work and turn off the lights one last time at The Empire Lounge and Restaurant.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- On the first Friday of Lent, the smell of fried fish and hush puppies filled cafeterias and gymnasiums of Catholic parishes across Louisville.Fish is served on Fridays during Lent, the Christian season of repentance, and many churches embrace the fish fries to help raise money to support their missions."After a fish fry, we typically will make over $40,000," said Mary Beth Porter, chairperson of the Holy Family fish fry.Many parishes rely on their popular fish fries to fund a large portion of the budget. It helps keep the church and its services operating, leaders said. The COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the tradition for at least a year, proved to be a setback for the next years when the fish cooking resumed.This year, it feels like everything is the way it used to be."We rely on the funds that this generates in order to meet our budget every year," said Rev. Mike Tobin at St. Rita. "That's why we were so eager to return after COVID to having not only dinner, but lunch, because that's a moneymaker: the lunch."The fish fries are a massive production. It takes hundreds of volunteers to pump out the meals for anyone who wants to eat.Why do they volunteer? One word: community."What's special about our fish fry is community," Porter said. "People like to come here and catch up with old friends that they haven't seen since last fish fry.""The fish is great, but it's a sense of they're supporting a parish community," Tobin added.Following several years that saw Catholic fish fries across the city depleted or restricted, things have finally come back, and so have the crowds.The Lenten .esson is less about the fish and more about the people."Things have rebounded," Tobin said. "People are so hungry for community."Fish fries continue through the month of March. To find a guide to Louisville-area churches' Lenten fish fries, click here. Related Stories:Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.

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