For every one homicide victim, there are at least 10 surviving family members who suffer their loss in the aftermath

Resolution Text (PDF)

Washington (November 21, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) reintroduced a bicameral Congressional resolution to honor families and survivors of homicide victims by establishing November 20 – December 20 as National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts currently recognizes these dates as Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month, and in 2022, the Boston City Council passed an ordinance led by Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia in support of the resolution at the federal level. The Congressional resolution was first unveiled in 2022.

“The epidemic of gun violence continues to plague our nation. It affects every American — regardless of age, race, or political affiliation — inflicting lasting trauma on communities, on families, and on survivors of homicide victims,” said Senator Markey. “This important resolution establishes the National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month to further amplify the incredible efforts of survivors and advocates who work every single day to advance healing and justice. I am proud to partner with Representative Pressley and the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute to support the families and communities who have been hurt by senseless acts of gun violence.”

“The more than 22,000 lives stolen annually to homicide are not just numbers—they represent the loved ones, families, and communities who are still healing and struggling to navigate life after immense loss,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “Our National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month Resolution commits to ending gun violence, centers the experiences of survivors of homicide victims nationwide, and meets them with the dignity and compassion they deserve. I’m grateful to Senator Markey and the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for their partnership.”

Notably, for every one homicide victim, there is an average of 10 surviving family members who suffer their loss in the aftermath of homicide. The resolution seeks to promote awareness of the intergenerational, traumatic, and lasting impacts of gun violence on families and broader communities. The resolution specifically:

  • Encourages support for survivors of homicide victims, including families, schools, and communities, with support services, information, and research to better address the needs of families and communities severely impacted by violence and to consider ways to improve access to, and the quality of, mental health services for survivors of homicide victims.
  • Calls on the people of the United States, interest groups, and affected persons to take an active role in the fight to end gun violence and homicide; to respond to all families suffering in the aftermath of homicide with consistency, compassion, competence and centering the principles of love, unity, faith, hope, courage, justice, and forgiveness; and to observe National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month with appropriate activities.

The resolution is supported by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, a healing and trauma support center based in Dorchester, Massachusetts, focused on caring for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss.

“We are grateful to Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey for their leadership in listening to, and aligning public policy with, the needs of survivors of homicide victims. We have long known that when survivors speak, change happens, and a federal resolution recognizing a national Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month amplifies and reaffirms our shared commitment to helping crime victims and their families seek justice and healing. Working within communities to truly hear what survivors are saying, to honor the dignity of every life lost, and to prevent further cycles of violence, makes our nation stronger, more compassionate, and more just.”– Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

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