Community violence prevention groups from around the country gathered yesterday for National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. EJUSA’s longtime partner, Mothers In Charge, and its affiliates and coalition partners held press conferences to honor their loved ones and to renew their call for investment in public health approaches to violence prevention.
“It is time to do more than just remember our loved ones,” said Dorothy Johnson-Speight, Founder and Executive Director of Mothers in Charge, who was joined in Philadelphia’s City Hall with other families of homicide victims as well as the Mayor, other lawmakers, and community leaders.
“EJUSA is pleased to support this national day of action by our partners, Mothers in Charge, as they mark the day and call for a public health response to homicide,” said EJUSA Executive Director Shari Silberstein in a statement.
“Every year there are more than 14,000 people murdered in America. Countless grieving parents, brothers, sisters, children, and other loved ones are left behind to pick up the pieces of their lives. And young men of color are the most likely to be victims of this public health crisis.
“It’s time to commit to a new path forward. We need trauma-informed responses to violence that save lives, rebuild communities, and prevent future violence. We need to understand the pain in communities of color built up over generations of racism, violence, and poverty, and ensure that responses to violence help instead of harm. We need to stand up as a nation to honor those killed by taking care of those left behind.”
Mothers in Charge affiliates in Kansas City, MO; St. Louis, MO; Atlantic County, NJ; Harrisburg, PA; San Francisco, CA; Berkeley, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and Palo Alto, CA; along with coalition partners in Brooklyn, NY; Baltimore, MD; South Bend, IN; Detroit, MI, and Chicago, IL all participated in the press conferences. These groups are on the front lines every day fighting violence and helping families heal after tragedy strikes in their cities.
Photo credit: Robert Torres of the Chicago-based Parents for Peace and Justice.
