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.