A mother who knows from experience what families dealing with homicide need
| Boston
Fifteen-year-old Louis Brown, an aspiring engineer with a penchant for comic books and Chinese food, wasn鈥檛 in a gang. On the contrary, he was on his way to a Teens Against Gang Violence meeting when he was killed in the crossfire of a gang-related shootout.
In the days and weeks that followed, members of Louis鈥檚 family found themselves on the receiving end of a flood of support from Boston city officials and the local community. But while appreciative, his mother, Clementina Ch茅ry, says she couldn鈥檛 help but wonder if they would have received the same treatment had the circumstances surrounding Louis鈥檚 death been different.
鈥淲hat if my son was gang-involved?鈥� she muses aloud, 24 years later. 鈥淲hat would happen to my family and me? Would the city really have provided us support?鈥�
That hypothetical scenario, coupled with a desire to spread Louis鈥檚 vision for a more peaceful world, has guided the creation and development of the , a Boston-based organization whose goal is to 鈥渢ransform society鈥檚 response to homicide.鈥� Though best known today for helping the loved ones of homicide victims, the Peace Institute has, over the course of its more than two decades in existence, adopted a holistic approach to address the roots of violence. This includes working with law enforcement agencies across the state, developing a peace-themed curriculum for local schools, and providing support to incarcerated persons and their families.
As founder and chief executive officer of the Peace Institute, Ms. Ch茅ry 鈥� a chaplain who goes by Tina 鈥� has received widespread recognition for her work. She was named Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers in 2010, has addressed the National Organization for Victim Assistance鈥檚 annual conference three times, and has published research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
But sitting in her office at the institute鈥檚 headquarters, tucked away on a quiet residential street in Boston鈥檚 Dorchester neighborhood, Ch茅ry says her top priority is making a difference in her own backyard, one neighbor at a time.
鈥淥ur mission is that we鈥檙e a center of healing, teaching, and learning,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 think when we start with families and with individuals and begin to treat people with dignity and respect, just basic human needs, then hopefully individual families, communities, society, and eventually the world will change.鈥�
Ch茅ry recalls that prior to the media learning that her son wasn鈥檛 involved in illegal activity, few resources were readily available to her and her family. It was only after the public learned of Louis鈥檚 clean record that 鈥渢he resources came to us.鈥� It鈥檚 thus of prime importance to Ch茅ry and the Peace Institute that the families of all homicide victims receive the support and resources necessary to begin the healing process, regardless of circumstance.
Ch茅ry has developed a number of tools for families, including a workbook for grieving children and the Survivors Burial and Resource Guide, which gives step-by-step information on matters such as selecting a funeral home and interacting with the police.
But the Peace Institute鈥檚 support for grieving families extends beyond practical guidance. Scattered around the institute鈥檚 headquarters are small toys and objects used in 鈥渟andplay,鈥� a therapeutic technique in which people create a manifestation of their imagination in boxes of sand.
Some survivors, as Ch茅ry calls them, prefer to express themselves this way. Some visit support groups to connect with fellow survivors. Others opt for one-on-one meetings.
How one mother has gotten help
When it comes to healing, there鈥檚 no single path, says Ruth Rollins, who lost a son in 2007 and visits the institute biweekly to meet with Ch茅ry. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 prescription ... is a little different, and you鈥檝e got to get your own,鈥� she says.
Ms. Rollins says she has felt 鈥� both personally and through her work as a professional domestic violence advocate 鈥� the 鈥渟tigma鈥� put on bereaved mothers whose children were associated with illegal activity. Her son, Warren Daniel Hairston, who went by Danny, was involved in gang activity at the time of his death.
鈥淚 knew my son mattered ... but [society] didn鈥檛 acknowledge it,鈥� Rollins says. 鈥淚 lost a child who may not have been a saint, but he was my child. We鈥檙e all victims when we lose a child to gun violence.鈥�
Rollins says that Ch茅ry and the Peace Institute have helped give her direction. 鈥淚f you find a purpose, that鈥檚 half the battle,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭ina helps you find your purpose. She supports you through your purpose.鈥�
The Peace Institute is also known for its work with another kind of victim, even less frequently recognized: the families on the other side of homicides. These efforts, too, were born out of Ch茅ry鈥檚 personal experience. Years after Louis鈥檚 death, she reached out to Doris Bogues, the mother of the man who pleaded guilty in the killing 鈥� in part, she says, to understand 鈥渨ho could raise a child that could kill.鈥� The two met at a local bar, where they greeted each other with 鈥渟ilent tears and a warm embrace.鈥�
鈥淲e really saw each other as mothers,鈥� Ch茅ry says. 鈥淲hen I saw her, I really saw me. In addition to seeing her shame, I felt her pain.鈥�
Through support groups and partnerships with local nonprofits, the institute鈥檚 Intergenerational Justice Program aids the families of incarcerated people as they deal with that sense of pain and shame. In formulating the program, Ch茅ry took a 鈥渄o unto others鈥�-type approach.
鈥淚鈥檝e always looked at, What would I want done if my son was the one who was accused or convicted of killing someone?鈥� she says. 鈥淏oth families are impacted, because none of us raise our children to kill or to be killed.鈥�
Mother鈥檚 Day Walk for Peace
Today, Ms. Bogues is a regular volunteer at the Peace Institute. She and her son, Charles Bogues, who was paroled in 2012, have also participated in the institute鈥檚 Mother鈥檚 Day Walk for Peace, an annual march across Boston that attracts thousands of survivors and allies from around the state. At the culmination of last year鈥檚 walk, Mr. Bogues, for whom Ch茅ry helped coordinate a reentry plan upon his release from prison, addressed the crowd at City Hall.
Despite rain in Boston this Mother鈥檚 Day, hundreds turned out for the walk, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh.
Since its inception 21 years ago, the Mother鈥檚 Day Walk has been 鈥渁 movement, a tradition we look forward to,鈥� says Ayanna Pressley, Boston city councilor at large, who has worked with the Peace Institute in various capacities.
鈥淭he number of families, homicide victims, and people who are promoters or agents or advocates for peace from throughout the city who participate is inspiring,鈥� Ms. Pressley continues. 鈥淚t has everything to do with the mission of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, but also the leadership, the compassion, and the heart of Tina.鈥�
Many local change-agent groups, she notes, have been created and developed with the 鈥済enerous鈥� support and mentorship of Ch茅ry and the Peace Institute.
One such organization in the works is helmed by Rollins 鈥� We Are Better Together: Warren Daniel Hairston Project. The initiative, which Rollins is set to formally launch in June, will 鈥渆ducate, support, and serve families on both sides of gun violence in order to break cycles of violence and victimization.鈥�
Throughout the development process, Rollins says, Ch茅ry has been her 鈥渂iggest cheerleader,鈥� offering both emotional support and practical guidance. But even as Rollins continues to grow her own initiative and help others, she doesn鈥檛 foresee a time in the near future when Ch茅ry and the Peace Institute won鈥檛 be a part of her life.
鈥淭hat work takes a toll on you, and it becomes emotional,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 know when I go to the Peace Institute, I don鈥檛 have to be strong. I can breathe. I鈥檝e got support. I鈥檝e got family.鈥�
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