November 20, 2025 - December, 20 2025: National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month

WHEREAS, over 20,000 homicides occur in the United States annually, affecting families and communities; and,

WHEREAS, the homicide rate increased from 7.8% to 10.7%, from 2019 through 2020, a 37% increase, compounding the many deaths caused by COVID–19; and,

WHEREAS, for every homicide victim, there may be a number of family members and survivors who must navigate life after the tragic loss of their loved one; and,

WHEREAS, in the United States, approximately 71 percent of Black adults and 60 percent of Latinx adults report having lost a loved one to gun related homicide; and,

WHEREAS, based on 2021 data, approximately 34 percent of women who are victims of homicides are killed because of intimate partner violence in the United States; and,

WHEREAS, in 2023, it was estimated that nearly 42 percent of homicides in the United States go unsolved; and,

WHEREAS, all families of homicide victims deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion; and,

WHEREAS, surviving family members need holistic, coordinated, compassionate, and consistent support and services in the immediate aftermath of a homicide and ongoing opportunities for healing in the months and years afterward; and,

WHEREAS, survivors, advocates, and providers are working together to implement equitable and effective community-based responses to homicide;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim November 20, 2025, through December 20, 2025, as National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month, and encourage all Michigan residents to educate themselves on the impact of homicide in communities and support efforts to prevent community level violence.