Nationally-Recognized Homicide Response Expert Brings Message of Peace and Healing to U.S. Capitol

Peace Institute Founder Clementina Chéry Attends State of the Union as Special Guest of Senator Markey Boston, MA – Louis D. Brown Peace Institute Founder and CEO Clementina “Tina” Chéry attended yesterdays State of the Union Address as United States Senator Edward J. Markey’s guest. At meetings in the Capitol, she shared the Peace Institute’s vision to create and sustain an environment where all families can live in peace and all people are valued. 

In his announcement, Senator Markey said, “Tina is a teacher, a healer, a change agent, and one of our greatest forces for breaking the cycle of violence in Massachusetts and throughout the country. She is leading a movement for peace and justice for survivors of homicide and other forms of violence, and giving them dignity in their hours of most need. While our neighborhood streets suffer from the scourge of gun violence, Tina Chéry wages peace. Thanks to her leadership, our families, our communities, and our government agencies have the tools to respond to violence with compassion and fairness so that futures aren’t lost to grief and the cycle of violence. I thank Tina for her dedication to the values of peace and potential, and for developing and sharing invaluable tools and resources through the Peace Institute for survivors.”

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United States Senator Edward J. Markey and Clementina “Tina” Chéry before the State of the Union Address, February 4, 2020.

 “I’m grateful to Senator Markey for inviting me to join him at this year’s State of the Union, and for recognizing the work the Peace Institute does to transform society’s response to homicide and support those who experience murder, trauma, grief, and loss,” said Chéry. “I attended the speech on behalf of all those working to address the root causes of violence to make our communities safer, and on behalf of all Survivors of Homicide Victims. I hope others will join us in waging peace for the next generation and learn about the mission of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute — named for my son Louis who was killed 26 years ago at the age of 15 and who dreamed of being the First Black President of the United States.”

While in the Capital, Chéry visited the offices of Senator Markey and of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who last month formally endorsed the Peace Institute’s effort to create a nationally recognized Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month. Chéry brought with her The Survivors’ Burial and Resource Guide, A Step-by-Step Workbook for Regaining Control, which the Peace Institute provides across the country to Survivors of Homicide Victims after the loss of a loved one.

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United States Representative Ayanna Pressley and Louis D. Brown Peace Institute Founder and CEO Tina Chéry in the Capitol, February 4, 2020.

 

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About the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Chaplain Chéry founded the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, based in Dorchester, MA, in 1994 after the murder of her 15-year-old son Louis. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field of homicide response and has served families of murder victims for more than 25 years. Through her leadership at the Peace Institute, she has trained thousands of public health professionals, law enforcement officials, and religious leaders in the best practices for supporting survivors and interrupting cycles of retaliatory violence through the “Survivors Burial and Resource Guide” and “Always in My Heart” children’s workbook.

Senator Markey Announces State of the Union Guest Chaplain Clementina Chéry, Violence Prevention Leader and Founder of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

Washington (February 3, 2020) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today announced his guest to the State of the Union, renowned violence prevention expert and peace pioneer Chaplain Clementina “Tina” Chéry. Chaplain Chéry founded the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute based in Dorchester in 1994 after the murder of her fifteen-year-old son Louis. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field of homicide response and has served families of murder victims for more than two decades. Through her leadership at the Peace Institute, she has trained thousands of public health professionals, law enforcement officials, and religious leaders in the best practices for supporting survivors and interrupting cycles of retaliatory violence through the “Survivors Burial and Resource Guide” and “Always in My Heart” children’s workbook.

“Tina is a teacher, a healer, a change agent, and one of our greatest forces for breaking the cycle of violence in Massachusetts and throughout the country,” said Senator Markey. “She is leading a movement for peace and justice for survivors of homicide and other forms of violence, and giving them dignity in their hours of most need. While our neighborhood streets suffer from the scourge of gun violence, Tina Chéry wages peace. Thanks to her leadership, our families, our communities, and our government agencies have the tools to respond to violence with compassion and fairness so that futures aren’t lost to grief and the cycle of violence. I thank Tina for her dedication to the values of peace and potential, and for developing and sharing invaluable tools and resources through the Peace Institute for survivors.”

“I’m grateful to Senator Markey for the invitation to join him at this year’s State of the Union,” said Clementina M. Chéry, President and CEO, the Peace Institute. “This invitation is more than a personal honor, it is a recognition of the work that the Peace Institute does to transform society’s response to homicide and support those who experience murder, trauma, grief, and loss. I will be attending Tuesday’s speech on behalf of all those working to address the root causes of violence to make our communities safer, and on behalf of all survivors of homicide victims. I hope others will join us in waging peace every day for the next generation and learn about the mission of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute — named for my son Louis who was killed 26 years ago at the age of 15 and who dreamed of being the First Black President of the United States.”

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PHOTO RELEASE: Louis D. Brown Peace Institute Brings Community Together to Celebrate Survivors of Homicide Victims, Spread Awareness of Support and Peace-Building Resources

Ceremony Marked 19th Annual Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (November 20-December 20)

Boston, MA – On Friday, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute hosted a celebration in honor of Survivors of Homicide Victims with District Attorney Rachael Rollins, State Senator Nick Collins, State Representative Liz Miranda and the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance Executive Director Liam Lowney. The event marked the beginning of Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (SHVAM), which was enacted in 2000 to educate the public and policymakers about the impact of murder on families and communities. 

The Peace Institute acknowledged two survivors in its network of support and community, Catia Mendes and Sade Smith Jones. In 2000, Mendes lost a close friend to gun violence. That experience has since empowered her to serve her community as a clinical responder with the Justice Resource Institute and Boston Trauma Response. Mendes has a passion and purpose to heal members of her community. Jones is currently a family partner at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Neighborhood Trauma Team of Jamaica Plain. As a family partner with the goal of helping those who are impacted by violence and trauma in her community, she is not only able to apply her education in sociology, but also her many life experiences.

Speakers at the event discussed the broad impact of murder on survivors and shared how the Peace Institute works to provide important resources and uplift communities with peace-building efforts. Throughout SHVAM, survivors and providers hold various events to remember those whose lives were taken and to cherish memories of their loved ones.

“Every day, the Peace Institute supports communities and families enduring the impact of homicide,” said Founder and President Clementina (Tina) Chery. “For the past 19 years, this celebration is a way to include members of the Massachusetts community in our work to spread peace and compassion. We are grateful to friends, neighbors and members of Mayor Walsh’s Administration for joining us to acknowledge the experience of Survivors of Homicide Victims.” 

“Homicide seems like such a clinical word. It has a legal significance in our courtrooms but, I don’t think it captures the personal significance of those who are left behind. As I have said before, homicide is a life robbed, it’s a life stolen. It has ripple effects far beyond that moment, we focus on when conducting an investigation or presenting a case.” said Suffolk County District Attorney, Rachael Rollins. “We can never fully repair the damage caused by a homicide. A verdict may provide some sense of accountability, but it will never replace the person lost. Nothing can, and nothing will.” 

“At a personal capacity, as someone, like many of you, who lost somebody to an act of violence.” said State Senator of the First Suffolk District, Nick Collins “In 2005, my cousin was taken from us in another part of the state, and so I know and my family knows the impact and pain of enduring such a loss, and the pain of a trial. This is why I am such a proud sponsor of the budgetary amendment for the Peace Institute.” 

“When I was elected, I knew I ran because of the loss of my youngest brother Michael, who died in August of 2017 in the Theater District. I don’t know how I did it but, he fueled me.” said State Representative of the Fifth Suffolk District, Elizabeth “Liz” Miranda. 

Speaking to his own experience with homicide violence, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Victims Assistance, Liam Lowney said “I think about anniversaries and what do they mean? Sometimes, I feel like the anniversary is for the community, not for us. We struggle every day.” 

The Peace Institute works closely with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Boston Police Department, the Boston Public Health Commission, and Boston’s Neighborhood Trauma Teams to ensure Survivors of Homicide Victims receive meaningful and compassionate support while experiencing the impacts of murder, trauma, grief and loss. 

From left to right: Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Victims Assistance Liam Lowney, Peace Institute Advocate Danielle C. Bennett, Survivor Sade Smith Jones, State Representative Liz Miranda, Survivor Catia Mendes, and Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins. 

 Founder and President of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Clementina (Tina) Chéry and Survivor Sade Smith Jones. 

Attendees gathered for a photo to commemorate the 19th Annual Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month. 

About The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, founded in 1994, is a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss. The vision of the Peace Institute is to create and sustain communities where all people are valued and all families can live in peace. The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s programs and services are grounded in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) social-ecological framework that interventions are needed at multiple levels to interrupt cycles of violence. The heart of their work is with families impacted by murder on both sides. Their impact extends to community and society through services, advocacy and training.

Louis D. Brown Peace Institute to Celebrate Survivors of Homicide Victims, Spread Awareness of Support and Peace-Building Resources

Ceremony to Mark 19th Annual Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (November 20-December 20)

Boston, MA – The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute will host a celebration in honor of Survivors of Homicide Victims on November 22 at 10 a.m. on the Massachusetts State House’s Grand Staircase.

At the ceremony, which marks the start of the 19th Annual Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (SHVAM), the Peace Institute will acknowledge two survivors in its network of support and community. The event will also discuss the broad impact of murder and share how the Institute works to provide important resources and uplift communities with peace-building efforts.

Throughout the month, survivors and providers hold various events to remember those whose lives were taken and to cherish memories of their loved ones at a time of year that can be especially painful.

The Peace Institute works closely with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Boston Police Department, the Boston Public Health Commission, and Boston’s Neighborhood Trauma Teams to ensure Survivors of Homicide Victims receive meaningful and compassionate support while experiencing the impacts of murder, trauma, grief and loss.

“Every day, the Peace Institute supports communities and families enduring the impact of homicide,” said Founder, President & CEO Clementina (Tina) Chery. “This celebration is a way to include members of the Boston community in our work to spread peace and compassion. We invite all our friends and neighbors to join us in acknowledging the experience of Survivors of Homicide Victims.”

WHO:

  • Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
  • Survivors of Homicide Victims
  • District Attorney Rachael Rollins
  • Senator Nick Collins
  • State Representative Liz Miranda
  • Liam Lowney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance

WHAT: Celebration of Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month, which was enacted in 2000 to educate the public and policymakers about the impact of murder on families and communities and uplift the peace-building efforts of Survivors.

WHEN: Friday, November 22 from 10 a.m. – Noon

WHERE: Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02133

About The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, founded in 1994, is a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss. The vision of the Peace Institute is to create and sustain communities where all people are valued and all families can live in peace. The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s programs and services are grounded in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) social-ecological framework that interventions are needed at multiple levels to interrupt cycles of violence. The heart of their work is with families impacted by murder on both sides. Their impact extends to community and society through services, advocacy and training.

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