Family members of homicide victims shared their personal stories Monday to mark a month-long observance period dedicated to honoring murder victims and highlighting services for families dealing with trauma.

A group of more than 50 people, including anti-violence activists, gathered at the Grand Staircase, which was decorated with candles and photos of murder victims, for the opening ceremonies of the annual Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month.

Hosted by Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry and the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, a support center for survivor families in Dorchester, the event opened with remarks from Attorney General Maura Healey who applauded the resilience of survivor families.

"You are all so brave and I so deeply admire that," said Healey.

Healey said that fall was a "poignant" time to observe awareness month because the holiday season can be especially difficult for families who lost loved ones to acts of violence.
The program featured several speakers, who shared how they personally healed and how they're giving back after the loss of their loved ones.

Michael Patrick MacDonald, an author, anti-violence activist and South Boston native who lost four of his siblings to violence, said he was able to heal by being vocal about his story.

"To have been through the worst possible thing in the world and still have enough love in you to transform it and try to prevent that from happening to other people's children and family members is the greatest love," said MacDonald.

Denise Cosby, a Virginia native who credited MacDonald with helping her through her trauma, shared a story she wrote about what it was like to attend the funeral of her son.

"That day - sitting there before my child lying dead, nearly drove me insane," Cosby said while reading from an essay she wrote about her son Justin, who was murdered at a Harvard University dormitory in 2009.

Cosby said through sharing her story she's able to heal and now has re-devoted her life to connecting families who have been impacted by murder or trauma.

Enacted in 2000, Massachusetts was the first state in the country to dedicate an entire month to victims of homicide, according to the LDB Peace Institute.

A formal proclamation by Gov. Charlie Baker was read aloud at the event by Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, marking November 20 to December 20 the month of observance.

Alexandra Chery, program coordinator at the institute, said events and activities will be held across Boston throughout the observed month.