29th Mother’s Day Walk for Peace supports families, communities impacted by homicide

Hundreds of families and district members gathered in the Dorchester Town Field Park in an -year-old annual Mother s Day tradition to help those impacted by homicide and trauma In Clementina Chery our founder it had been just over two years since her son was murdered and she demanded to do something for Mother s Day stated Luis Antonio Thompson senior producer at the Louis D Brown Peace Institute How does a mother who has lost a child to murder celebrate a day like that especially when she still has children And so her idea was to just walk around the neighborhood he continued To walk around the Dorchester society where he lived and also where he was murdered as a way of her saying I will not stay silent on Mother s Day The annual Walk for Peace is the Peace Institute s flagship benefit event and aimed to raise for critical services advocacy and training for survivors of homicide casualties and communities impacted by murder trauma grief and loss As of Sunday Thompson noted they d tallied over and the campaign will remain open for donations through Father s Day in June The Peace Institute runs services including the Survivors Outreach Services operation assisting families and survivors of homicide casualties in the first to hours after homicide the Generation Peace activity working with youth on projects like art installations and the Society Reentry Services scheme assisting people coming out of prison We look at what our founder and CEO says assisting people on both sides of the gun noted Thompson There are never any winners anytime any act of violence happens that families and people who are left behind are the ones who are ultimately impacted When we re able to assist families and when we re able to assist people who are coming out of prison and also assist their families we re looking at how do we cultivate cycles of peace ' The walk this year was themed Cultivating Cycles of Peace and kicked off at a m Participants started walking in the park at a m and the event closed with a rally at a m Related Articles Chery Nurturing peace by changing the narrative The temperature was warm and sunny through Sunday morning and the event felt celebratory and joyous Thompson noted With the political setting right now there s a lot of people who are feeling pessimistic and scared he added but the gathering indicated people can and will and still do come together in the name of a greater cause Mourning loss is certainly a part of it especially when so countless have have lost children to violence disclosed Thompson But then there s also the element of celebrating their lives celebrating in their honor And certainly I fee the enjoyment the spirit of love the spirit of unity the spirit of hope all of that was present the present day Clementina Ch ry founder President and CEO of the Louis D Brown Peace Institute speaks during the th Mother s Day Walk for Peace Nancy Lane Boston Herald Gabrielle Geraldo carries photos of her son Edwin during the Louis D Brown Peace Institute s th Mother s Day Walk for Peace Nancy Lane Boston Herald Eileen Ryan of Watertown carries a sign reading Mothers for Peace and Justice during Mother s Day Walk for Peace Sunday Nancy Lane Boston Herald