Families and friends of people murdered gathered in the State House on Thursday, kicking off Homicide Awareness Month to support communities impacted by similar tragedies.

“Even in the memories that are painful, my hope still continues,” said Beatriz Couho, the mother of Joel Leon, who was killed in South Boston in 2014 at the age of 19. … “I hope your children and my children will find peace in our world and our neighborhood.”

The 24th annual Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month, organized in Massachusetts by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and partner organizations, began on Nov. 20 and was marked Thursday with a ceremony in the Great Hall at the State House. The ceremony featured two mothers who lost their sons to homicide, speakers from the Peace Institute, the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance director, state Sen. Nick Collins, and state Rep. Chris Worrell.

The initiative is dedicated to “educating the public and policymakers on the profound impact of homicide on families,” the institute states.

“This is an opportunity to come together, to be in unity together, to celebrate, to grieve,” said  Alexandra Chery-Dorrelus, Co-Executive Director of the Peace Institute, “and then also to use this month to educate policymakers about what our legislative priorities are and make sure we’re impacting policy that positively impact survivors of homicide victims.”

Among their policy goals, institute Co-Executive Director Rachel Rodrigues said, they are looking to support additional bereavement leave for people who lose loved ones to homicide, noting that three days is “not realistic.”

Speakers from state agencies and the Legislature emphasized toll of losing a loved one and the need for state support within the community, with Sen. Collins telling the people gathered Thursday “your voices are heard here.”

Throughout the state, organizations through the Massachusetts Survivors Network will host events during the awareness month to allow people to gather and advocate.

Linda Smith, who’s son Dreshaun Johnson was 23 when he was killed in Roslindale in 2022, said these events, her work helping other survivors and the scholarship funds she raises in her son’s name help her “transform my pain into power.”

“I see him in nature, in colors, in rainbows, and in the world around me,” Smith said, remembering her son to the crowd gathered Thursday. “He checks up on me to see if I’m okay.”