BOSTON – Sunday, May 8th marked the 26th Annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Boston, kicking off at Dorchester’s Town Field 8:00 AM.

The Mother’s Day Walk for Peace has grown from a small gathering of neighbors to a movement of thousands who come together every year to promote Peace.  Organized by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, founded by Chaplain Clementina Chéry after her 15-year-old son Louis was caught in the fatal crossfire of a shootout near his home in Dorchester, the Walk was back live this year after being held virtually for the past two years due to COVID. The Walk also had a virtual component and was live streamed on the organization’s website and on NBC10 Boston’s and NECN’s Facebook pages.

“We are so blessed to be back together in person this year,” said Chéry. “It is bittersweet. There are people no longer here who should be here.  We walked for and with them and we hold them close.”

A brief speaking program emceed by Emmy Award-Winning Anchor, Latoyia Edwards featured Chéry, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said, “The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is a pacesetter for the country on how to respond to homicide.” On stage, she reminded the crowd of the years spent doing the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace with her own mother before she passed and told the story of how Mama Pressley was so committed to this event and its mission, she took several steps before becoming too weak to continue in her final act of activism.

“The walk is now a legacy that came from a place of unspeakable trauma which has now built an organization and a community to help heal residents all across the Commonwealth and beyond,” said Mayor Wu. 

“To all the mothers out there that we honor and celebrate today, thank you for being the presence in our lives and our communities,” said Attorney General Healey.  “The best thing we can do today, all of us, is to honor them, and to honor all we’ve lost in these last few years especially by doing exactly what community is doing today.”

They shared the stage with several other leaders including Dr. Kevin Tabb, CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health, Cindy Diggs, Peace Commissioner and founder of Peace Boston, and Survivors Network Chairs Debra Morris-Covington, Natasha Carrington, and Beverly Parham.

“This is the only place I’d want to be on Mother’s Day.  It is so important for us to acknowledge the fact that homicides and violence are affecting the communities that we live in,” said Dr. Tabb.  “We all need to be part of the solution.”

Survivors Network Chair Natasha Carrington said, “It benefits us as survivors, it benefits us as a community, coming together to be there for one another to heal together.”

The Mother’s Day Walk for Peace had a practical side as well.  It serves as the organization’s single largest fundraiser and the goal this year is $600,000. By the next morning, they had raised nearly $430,000 toward that goal.  Teams and individuals registered online at mothersdaywalk4peace.org and collected donations.  There are many teams doing amazing work to make their goals and raise awareness. Go to https://bit.ly/peacewalkteam for a list of all of the incredible teams you can support right up through Father’s Day.

The following people and organizations have generously agreed to sponsor the 2022 Mother’s Day Walk for Peace:

– Martin Richard Foundation

– Rick and Gitte Shea

– Mass General Brigham

– Beth Israel Lahey Health

– Arbella Insurance Foundation

– Boston Medical Center Health System

– Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation

– Everytown

– Josie Greene and Glenn Asch

– Stanley N. Griffith and Anne E, Schauffler

– South Cove Community Health Center

– Patriots Foundation

– NECN, NBC10Boston, Telemundo

– Boston Globe

– Dorchester Reporter

About LDBPI:
The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s mission is to serve as a center of Healing, Teaching, and Learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss. We have been an integral partner to the City of Boston and have developed best practices in serving families and communities impacted by murder for 28 years. We offer resources to families seeking support, training and homicide response toolkits to providers on best practices in the field of homicide response. Learn more at https://ldbpeaceinstitute.org/

BOSTON, MA – On Monday, March 28, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI) officially announced its new, all-female Board of Directors during the last days of Women’s History Month. As an organization that was founded and is led by women, this is an especially proud moment for the survivor-led organization.

The new board members are the first of a brand new slate even as the LDBPI maintains strong ties with the previous Board members, some of whom served for many years.  Co-Executive Directors Alexandra Chéry-Dorrelus and Rachel Rodrigues expect to name three to five additional board members in the coming months and are excited by the strong start of these first three, who will all serve as officers.  Chéry-Dorrelus and Rodrigues added that the fact of this group being all women was a coincidence and that they were all chosen based strictly on their qualifications and capacity to serve the survivor community.

Dr. Cecilia M. Cardesa was born and raised in Argentina and grew up during the nation’s Dirty War. Dr. Cardesa is the founder of TraumaVenture, which she launched in 2016 to humanize trauma and destigmatize mental health conditions. In 2020, Cecilia founded MappingOnward which is a digital journal, mainstreaming healing. Cecilia is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where she acquired both her doctoral and master’s degrees. She holds a master’s degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and studied political science as an undergraduate student at Villanova University. Cecilia humbly, joyfully and proudly began her academic journey in community college. Dr. Cardesa’s professional work, academic scholarship and personal compass guiding her trauma repair and healing are rooted in forgiveness, peace and hope.  She will serve as Chair.

Beth Dill is currently retired after being in Finance and Operations at several companies. Her last position was COO/CFO of Stone Temple Consulting, a digital marketing agency, which was sold to Perficient Digital in July 2018.  She is currently on the Bethany Hill Board and Chair of Board of Southborough Community Fund.  In addition to her volunteer work, she does some financial consulting in the nonprofit sector and teaches weaving.  Beth and her husband Eric have lived in Southborough for the past 27 years and have raised three children. Beth will serve as Treasurer.

Cheryl Lang is a public health practitioner with a passion for injury prevention. She currently serves as Program Manager to the Stepping Strong Injury Prevention Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, after having served as the Program’s Project Manager for the previous two years. In this role, she assists in developing the Injury Prevention Program, enhancing collaboration efforts among Brigham’s existing injury prevention initiatives, establishing external partnerships, and managing the program’s current initiatives. Cheryl comes to the Brigham from Boston Children’s Hospital and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where she focused on integrating poison prevention strategies into community public health initiatives. Cheryl received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health degrees at Boston University. She will serve as Board Clerk.

Members are expected to serve up to 3-year terms, and their very first order of business will be to examine and revise the by-laws.

Girls Leadership Academy As we close out Women’s History Month, LDBPI is also proud to lift up the Girls Leadership Academy. Directed by Janice Johnson, Healing and Support Services Manager, Girls Leadership Academy (GLA) is a quest to help girls 10-22 who may be experiencing or healing from trauma in their lives, build a toolbox of skills to promote leadership and confidence. GLA focuses on building leadership through highlighting strong leaders, helping girls discover their passion, and teaching them life skills for self-care and stress management. Girls Leadership Academy partners with elected officials, local businesses, and universities to identify mentors, access to education, and gateways to career opportunities for young women and girls.

ICYMI: Watch the Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence launch event

BOSTON, MA – On Monday, December 20, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI) hosted a virtual ceremony to commemorate the closing of the 21st Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (SHVAM). This holiday month was filled with events centered around peace, healing, and transforming the narrative around gun violence. 

In 2000, SHVAM was enacted with a purpose to educate the public and policymakers about the impact of murder on families and communities – that purpose is more prevalent to this day. Homicide rates in the United States are steeply rising, and 2020 saw the highest increase in homicides rates within the country in the past 100 years. 

“Each homicide leaves behind survivors who must navigate the process of grief and loss,” said Danielle Bennett, LDBPI Policy and Network Manager. “These friends, family neighbors, and community members need resources to provide a critical sense of stability and support regardless of circumstances.” 

The closing ceremony recognized the growing impact of LDBPI. As of October 2021, the organization has served 452 survivors in Boston.

“Survivors of homicide victims are everywhere,” said Alexandra Chéry Dorrelus, LDBPI Co-Executive Director. “Research says that for every homicide victim, there are at least 10 immediate family members impacted, and this doesn’t include extended family members, friends, classmates, or teachers. We know this also doesn’t acknowledge the families suffering on the other end of that homicide.” 

At the beginning of SHVAM, LDBPI honored Rahsaan Peters, this year’s recipient of the Inform, Influence, and Impact award. Peters is a compassionate and dedicated advocate in this work of serving families of homicide victims and his community. Peter’s ability to make connections, collaborate and meet the family’s needs far exceeds the call of duty. In view of his advocacy within his role at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the ground work with survivors, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is proud to recognize Peters as the 2021 recipient of the Inform, Influence, Impact Award.

“The services we provide are crucial to all who contribute to transforming the narrative and response to homicide: health institutions, educational and community organizations, the media, arts etc.,” said Chaplain Clementina M. Chéry, LDBPI President & CEO. “When we envision peace and healing, it needs to come from a sustainable and fruitful environment. That is why we are dedicated to igniting a national movement that supports survivors in their path to healing from murder, trauma, grief and loss.”

To learn more about the Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month, visit the website at LDBpeaceinstitute.org.

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About the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute 

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI), founded in 1994, after the murder of 15 year old Louis D. Brown, serves as a Center of Healing, Teaching and Learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss. The vision of the LDBPI is to create and sustain an environment where all people are valued and all families can live in peace. Additional information is available at www.LDBpeaceinstitute.org.

Three-year initiative is rooted in multi-disciplinary studio classes through Emerson’s Engagement Lab, community collaboration

BOSTON, MA (November 22, 2021) –  Emerson College, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI), and the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announce a new collaboration to transform the narratives around gun violence, launching the initiative virtually on Thursday, December 2, at 2 p.m. The three-year, Boston-based collaboration will explore the incomplete narratives around the gun violence crisis and is determined through a collaborative venture, to model a new approach through interventions within media, arts, and communication and by centering those communities most impacted by this crisis. 

On December 2, community members, faculty, institutional partners, and advocates will join event speakers to launch the initiative: Eric Gordon (Professor and Director of the Engagement Lab at Emerson College), David F. M. Brown, MD (President of Massachusetts General Hospital), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Andrea Campbell (Boston City Councilor), Peter Masiakos, MD and Chana Sacks, MD, MPH (Co-directors of the MGH Center for Gun Violence Prevention), Chaplain Clementina Chéry (President of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute), and William Gilligan (Interim President of Emerson College).

“Together we will explore the roles of local news and reporting, place-based media art, participatory documentary, storytelling, performing arts, and social media influencers on transforming those narratives around gun violence,” said Eric Gordon, Director of the Engagement Lab at Emerson College, which has created three new studio courses for the Spring semester that will support this initiative.

Gun violence is a pervasive public health crisis in this country. Forty-four percent of Americans today know someone who has been shot, and nearly every American will know someone who has been shot during their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How do we understand the impact of gun violence on individuals, families, and communities? What are their stories, and are these narratives told with dignity, and urgency, or have we as a society normalized them?

“All of us share an obligation to understand the causes and social determinants of these devastating injuries – and to prevent them from occurring,” said Masiakos, director of MGH Pediatric Trauma Services. “Health care providers talk about gun violence being our lane, but we cannot ignore the people in the middle of the highway being hit by trucks day after day. Telling these stories in authentic and compelling ways will have a profound impact on the way our society embraces and addresses this public health epidemic.”

“When we think about sustainable change and shifting the narrative it is done through partnerships like this, where intervention and education is taking place at multiple levels. The investment in proximity is a vital piece to this partnership and I am eager to see this long standing vision of the LDBPI come to fruition,” said Chaplain Clementina Chéry, President/CEO of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute.

Aiming to create a continuum of change, Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence will engage in open exploration through sustained partnerships with community-based organizations on the ground working for gun violence prevention, advocacy, and victim support services. Students enrolled in multi-disciplinary studio classes at Emerson College’s Engagement Lab will work alongside community partners to transform narratives of gun violence in Boston by understanding and representing the social complexity of the problem. Together, they will explore the roles of local news and reporting, place-based media art, participatory documentary, storytelling, performing arts, and social media influencers on transforming those narratives. 

Through a collaborative design approach, this initiative will center those most impacted by the effects of gun violence in the exploration and creation of narrative interventions to restore urgency, dignity, and humanity to this pervasive issue.  

About Emerson College

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has 3,700 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups.

Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic as well as its new Global Portals. The College has an active network of 51,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit emerson.edu.

About the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI), 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 LDBPI 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.

About the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at Massachusetts General Hospital

The Center for Gun Violence Prevention is a multidisciplinary initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital dedicated to preventing firearm-related violence and promoting safety in the homes and communities of the patients we serve. The Center focuses on reducing injuries and deaths related to firearms and promoting safety in the home and in the community through clinical care and education, community engagement and research.

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The Annual Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (SHVAM) was created to educate the public and policymakers about the impact of murder on families and communities and uplift the peace-building efforts of Survivors of Homicide Victims.

BOSTON, MA – The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI) will host a virtual ceremony to kickoff the 21st Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month (SHVAM) on Friday, November 19 at 10 a.m. The event will be streamed online and can be viewed via Facebook and the website.

During the ceremony, LDBPI will recognize Rahsaan Peters, this year’s Inform, Influence, and Impact awardee from Boston. Rahsaan is a Violence Recovery Advocate/Coordinator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), working to provide support to patients and families admitted to BWH as a result of physical trauma. Rahsaan is one of the most compassionate and dedicated advocates in this work of serving families of homicide victims and his community. Rahsaan’s ability to make connections, collaborate and meet the family’s needs far exceeds the call of duty. From his advocacy within his role at BWH to the ground work with survivors, these are some of the reasons why we honor Rahsaan Peters with the Inform, Influence, Impact Award.

“Families and communities impacted by homicide deserve services, support resources, and to be treated with compassion and dignity. This ceremony recognizes those in our community who have been affected by the ongoing violence of the current homicide rates in the country,” said LDBPI President & CEO Chaplain Clementina (Tina) Chéry. “We welcome neighbors and friends in the Boston area to join the celebration and honor our survivors.”

WHO: 

• Louis D. Brown Peace Institute 
• Survivors of Homicide Victims Network
• Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
• State Senator Nick Collins 
• Rahsaan Peters, Inform, Influence, and Impact awardee

WHAT: Virtual ceremony to recognize 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 19 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

WHERE: Facebook: @LDBPeaceInstitute

WHY: Homicide rates in the United States are steeply rising, and 2020 saw the largest rise in homicides within the country in the past 100 years. Each homicide leaves behind survivors who must navigate the process of grief and loss. These friends, family neighbors, and community members need resources to provide a critical sense of stability and support regardless of circumstances. 

The LDBPI works closely with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Boston Police Department Homicide Unit, 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. 

The kickoff ceremony is to serve as a reminder that survivors are still here, standing in solidarity and working towards positive change in public policy, social justice, and stability. The event will also discuss the broad impact of murder, trauma, grief and loss and share how the LDBPI works to provide important resources and uplift communities with peace-building efforts in partnership with local and government agencies.  

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About the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute 

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI), founded in 1994, after the murder of 15 year old Louis D. Brown, serves as a Center of Healing, Teaching and Learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss. The vision of the LDBPI is to create and sustain an environment where all people are valued and all families can live in peace. Additional information is available at www.LDBpeaceinstitute.org.