yy8gq – Page 11 – Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

Mayor Walsh, AG Healey, Dr. Tabb attending 24th annual event

Peace Institute announces $400,000 fundraising goal to support Survivors of Homicide Victims

BOSTON, MA — The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is hosting its 24th annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace online this year with a virtual walkathon this Sunday, May 10, at 9 a.m. Broadcast partners NBC10 Boston and NECN will broadcast the event live on TV and across social media platforms. Participants — including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Beth Israel Lahey Health President and CEO Dr. Kevin Tabb, Survivors of Homicide Victims, advocates, community members, and influencers — will unite to recognize victims of homicide and celebrate Boston’s great potential to create communities of peace.

“Nothing can stand in the way of the Peace Institute’s determination to spread peace, end murder, and transform society’s response to homicide — not even a global pandemic,” said Peace Institute Founder and President Clementina Chéry. “I am thrilled to bring the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace online and continue our decades-long tradition of fighting for a safer, more peaceful world. Uniting to heal our communities is more important than ever this year.”

The Mother’s Day Walk for Peace is a beloved Boston tradition and the Peace Institute’s largest fundraising event. It helps support the organization’s services, advocacy, and training. The Peace Institute is a trusted place of healing for those who experience the murder of a loved one, and the organization works to demand dignity and compassion for all victims and their families, regardless of the circumstances.

“The Peace Institute does invaluable work supporting families impacted by homicide, trauma, and loss,” said Attorney General Healey. “I’m excited to join this year’s virtual walkathon to help demonstrate the impact we can have when we unite around a shared purpose to end violence in our communities.”

“The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is a beacon of hope and love, and our City is better and stronger because of the organization’s work,” said Mayor Walsh. “The Walk for Peace is a time for our City to focus on healing and building community. I’m looking forward to this year’s virtual walk-a-thon.”

“I lost my brother to gun violence on August 20, 2017. When my brother was killed, our family walked into the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for the first time. We needed help, too,” said Representative Miranda, this year’s co-chair of the Walk for Peace. “We are all impacted when we lose loved ones to violence. Together, we can heal and have an impact.”

While people are feeling particularly isolated and alone during the COVID-19 pandemic and forced to practice social distancing, the Peace Institute’s resources can be a lifeline. Homicides continue to happen and the need for healing persists. That is why the Peace Institute has announced a fundraising goal of $400,000.

“It is times like these that expose the systemic racism experienced by communities of color, immigrants, and others impacted on a daily basis by murder, trauma, grief, and loss,” Chéry wrote in an email to supporters announcing the event’s shift online. “You have proven year after year how deeply you care about the communities we serve and we continue to be grateful. We are looking to you, this year especially, to help us reach our goal of $400,000.”

Register, start a team, donate, fundraise, or volunteer as a social media ambassador for the Mother’s Day Virtual Walk-a-thon for Peace by visiting https://www.mothersdaywalk4peace.org.

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“All the wonderful staff at the Peace Institute are instrumental in our growth, our process of grieving, and trying to navigate the process of losing a really special person. We’ve received all types of counseling and support, including support going through the trial for my brother’s murder case in 2018. I don’t think we could have gotten through it without the love and support of the Peace Institute,” said Terrin White-Goodman, Terrell’s sister. Valencia Jones, Terrell’s mother, said, “Going to my first Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, I was nervous and emotional. When I saw hundreds of walkers supporting victims and survivors, and all the people who came to support us, it made me feel like, ‘I can do this’.”

Homicide is an epidemic, too

TRAUMA COMES in many forms. The current COVID-19 global pandemic is leaving behind the ripples of trauma in its wake as families and communities are robbed of loved ones. People all across America and from every walk of life are grappling with the scale and scope of this crisis and will face the upward battle towards a collective recovery. We can and we will overcome this virus, but we must be intentional about building ourselves back up afterwards—and that starts with treating our trauma.

For too many people, this is not the first nor the only systemic trauma they are working to overcome. The epidemic of homicide and violence tears at the bonds of community, particularly black and brown communities across the country. It shows up in our homes in the form of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence—violence that has only increased as a result of COVID-19 mandatory social distancing measures.

Read the full article in CommonWealth

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.”

Zoom Markey and Tina 1.jpg — 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.

Zoom Pressley and Tina.jpeg — 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.

“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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Always in My Heart

“I keep Always in My Heart at my house so that when Toni visits she can express herself and we can talk about her writings. She is on the low social spectrum of autism and sheloves to draw and write stories. This book helps her to express her feelings. I just asked her input and she said, ‘It helps me to get rid of sad feelings about Devonte.’” — Eileen

Always in My Heart: A Workbook for Grieving Children was written by Clementina M. Chéry, Mother of Louis David Brown and founder of the Peace Institute. This workbook is a resource designed to help children (pre-school through teens) navigating the journey of sudden and violent death. It may also be useful for young people grieving less violent losses;certain elements of grief are universal. Parents, teachers, clergy, counselors, and concerned friends and relatives all may find it valuable. The activities included in this workbook have been compiled over the years by Ms. Chéry to help her younger children cope with the loss of their brother. These activities can help children understand and express the many feelings and emotions, both good and bad, that come with grief. “They help us remember that we must be patient; children deal with the sudden and violent death of a loved one differently than adults do.” says Ms. Chery.

PeaceZone

“As a mother, I am happy my son is learning about peace, so he can grow up to be a good guy, and able to teach his kids about peace.” –Pamela Graham, about her son’s participation in the PeaceZone curriculum.

PeaceZone is an elementary school-based program (ages 4 -11 years) designed to increase students’ ability to make positive decisions avoid risk-taking behavior and heal from trauma and loss. It was created in partnership with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, the Harvard School of Public Health, the Lesson One Foundation, and Boston Public Schools. PeaceZone is designed to increase students’ ability to heal from trauma and loss, make positive decisions, and avoid risk-taking behavior. The curriculum can be used school-wide as a school climate change instrument or in individual classrooms to talk about trauma, loss, grief, and healing. Early prevention has been shown to increase children’s resilience, reinforce positive behaviors, and promote social benefits. To be truly preventative, programs should begin no later than first grade.

A recent survey of fourth grade teachers showed positive impacts on their students through the use of PeaceZone curriculum :

33.3% said “There were less office referrals”

100% said “Students showed improved self control”

33.3% said “Students showed improved thinking and problem solving”

33.3% said “Students showed improved cooperation skills”

Effectiveness: PeaceZone was developed in Boston and evaluated using pre and post surveys of children in grades 3-5. Both boys and girls reported significant reductions in being victimized by other children at school (boys 37% to 28%; girls 39% to 30%). Boys reported a decrease in perpetration of violence from 36% to 26%. Also, there were remarkable reductions in mild to severe depression reported by both boys (40% to 25%) and girls (40% to 14%).

Contact us if you are interested in training that is designed to increase students’ ability to heal from trauma and loss and grief, make positive decisions, and avoid risk-taking behavior.

I AM Poem Book

Poems written by the participants in the Peace from Within program at Plymouth County Correctional Facility

Survivors’ Burial and Resource Guide: A Step-By-Step Workbook for Regaining Control

When Chaplain Clementina M. Chery founded the Peace Institute in 1996, there was no coordinated response to homicide at that time. Her family left the hospital empty-handed without knowing what to do next. Chaplain Chery developed the Survivors’ Burial and Resource Guide so families and the providers who serve them would have a tool to manage the crisis and chaos after a homicide happens.

The Burial Guide is currently used by three trauma-one hospitals in Boston: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Boston Medical Center. Peace Institute advocates use the Burial Guide with every family they serve.

The Burial Guide helps families and providers answer these questions: Who can possibly understand what we’re going through? How can we get through this? Where do we begin? What funeral home do we use, and how do we pay for it? How do we get our loved ones living in a different country to the funeral? What if our child had a criminal record? How do we handle interactions with the police, media and other groups?

The Peace Institute recently released the national edition of the Burial Guide which can be used by survivors and providers anywhere in the country. The Burial Guide is an important tool for any agency who serves survivors in the first week after their loved one is murdered. Our team can provide training and technical assistance to agencies who purchase the Burial Guide to use with clients.