Clementina Chéry, founder of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Plans were announced Wednesday at the Hampshire House for the upcoming 30th annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace. The event raises money for families who have lost loved ones due to gun violence in Boston.
This year, organizers hope to raise $600,000. There are also plans to end this year's walk with a concert.
Clementina Chéry is the founder of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. It's named for Louis D. Brown, who was a 15-year-old sophomore in the fall of 1993. Louis was looking forward to graduating from high school and attending college, but was caught in a fatal crossfire of gunshots near his Dorchester home.
During that time, there were no resources in Boston for survivors of homicide victims. But through efforts led by the organization that carries his name, the institute raises funds for the families and survivors of homicide victims.
At Wednesday's Beacon Hill event, Chéry said that while Boston is called the safest major city in America, there's still work to be done. "In 2025 alone, more than eleven thousand lives were lost to homicide in the United States, and here in Boston, thirty-one families lost a loved one to homicide," she said.
Senior Producer for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Luis Antonio Thompson, said he is amazed and grateful for how successful the Walk for Peace has become. "That such a thing could not just start, as it was with just one idea, but that it could grow and impact so many," he said. "Now, it's our largest fundraiser, so it helps us serve more families each year."
He added that for the first time in the walk's history, a celebration concert is being held in Town Field in Dorchester.
The Mother's Day Walk for Peace and Celebration of Life concert is Sunday, May 10.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.