The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is inviting the community to an open house on Thursday, Dec. 11 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at their new headquarters at 15 Christopher St. in Fields Corner. The event is one of several at the Institute and throughout Dorchester planned in observance of Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month, which runs from Nov. 20-Dec. 20.

In 2000, Massachusetts became the first state to officially dedicate this time to survivors of homicide. According to Peace Institute executive director Tina Chery, the legislation was the result of intensive lobbying by a coalition of policymakers and survivors.

“We realized that there was no language and no space, even within the criminal justice system, for the survivors of murder victims,” Chery said. The month-long series of events provides a time for survivors to honor the memory of loved ones, reach out to other survivors, and inform the public about the victim’s rights movement and violence prevention.

The holiday period was chosen deliberately, said Chery, who founded the Peace Institute after her 14-year-old son Louis was murdered in December 1993. Whereas the holidays are stressful for families in general, that stress is exponentially greater in the wake of homicide.
“How do you celebrate Thanksgiving, how do you celebrate Christmas when a loved one has been murdered,” said Chery. “Yet you have to count your blessings, you have to be there for other children and family members.

The awareness month reminds others that the family of a murder victim must go on with life long after the funeral, the media reports and the trial are over. The observances also build community. “How do we grieve together and how do we create a space for those who think nobody cares,” Chery said.

Although the organization’s new headquarters is only four blocks from the Peace Institute’s original site on Dorchester Avenue, visitors to the open house will discover that the new location is quieter, even more of a sanctuary.

“This is a safe space for families to come in, whether it is a day after their loved one was murdered, two days, a year or 20 years later,” said Chery.

When they arrive, they will find a unique understanding of their situation.

“People think we are all about counseling,” said Chery. “But there is a long path before any counseling can happen.”

Initially families need help with an overwhelming number of practical issues: working with the hospital, the police, the district attorney, the children’s school, and the media – all in the midst of shock and pain.

Currently the LDB Peace Institute is the coordinator for SHVAM, and creates the calendar. A complete listing of events can be found on their website at ldbpeaceinstitute.org.

“There is a story behind each victim of homicide,” Chery said. “It doesn’t matter whether that victim was known to the police or was a straight-A student. That victim had a family, a sibling a wife, a mother. That victim was connected to the community.”

Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month 2014
Events in and Around Dorchester

November-December
The Women Survivors of Homicide Movement (WSOH) will host I’m Every Woman, a program of information and empowerment streamed live on Boston Praise Radio and ROKU TV. The program will air 2-3 p.m. Tuesdays at http://t.colqtHD3Dj via You Tube. Listeners can call in during the program at 617-282-0685. For more information, contact Mary Franklin at wsohmovement14@gmail.com.

December 6
Nourish and Connect, Inc. will offer its Fourth Annual Family Education and Information Day for the families and friends of homicide victims. Nourish and Connect, Inc. is a social justice organization serving the Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese-speaking communities. Attendees will receive assistance in applying for victim’s compensation and information about benefits and services available to survivors of homicide. The event will take place 12:30-3 p.m. at the Cape Verdean Adult Day Health Center, 34 Hancock St., Dorchester. 617-288-0300. For more information, contact: Ester, 857-544-7286; Djenane, 857-225-3490; Luisa, 857-261-7944. Email: info@nourish-and-connect.org.

December 11
• The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute will hold an open house at its new headquarters, 15 Christopher St., Dorchester, just off Dorchester Ave. in Field’s Corner. 4:30-7 p.m.
For more information, call 617-285-1917 or consult the website: ldbpeaceinstitute.org.

• The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence will sponsor a candlelight vigil, We Are All Victims of Gun Violence. The vigil will take place 7:30-9 p.m. at the First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough St., Boston. For more information, contact Ellie Miller: elliemiller224@gmail.com.

December 13
Melvin’s Mission, a day program for women survivors of homicide, will host an open house with music, dancing, food and drink. The open house will take place 2-6 p.m. at 1450 Washington St., Roslindale. For more information, contact: Mary Franklin, 857-600-1623 Email: melvinsmission@gmail.com.

December 14
The healing and Encouragement Survivors of Homicide Ministry at Morningstar Baptist Church will hold a Gone But Not Forgotten Dinner. The dinner will follow the 11:00 a.m. service at the church, 1257 Blue Hill Avenue, Mattapan. MSBC will also hold a Christmas party for children survivors of victims of homicide on Dec. 18 from 6-8 p.m.