Sibling Support Network launches nationwide survey to investigate lose of sibling to violent crime

Following the murder of her youngest brother, John Gormon, Jr. in August 2013, Siblings Support Network founder and executive, Cheeraz Gormon couldn’t find services, and support to meet what she felt like were her unique needs. According to Gormon, “Those of us who lose our siblings to a violent crime are oftentimes overlooked, and in many cases, we get pushed to shoulder various responsibilities, leaving us to suffer in silence.” Gormon, a St. Louis-based poet, storyteller, and author, seeks to start a national conversation about the challenges people face when they lose a blood-related or fictive kin siblings to a violent crime face, and to raise the visibility of this population.  

Sibling Support Network will travel to cities and rural communities throughout 2019 thru 2020 with the goal of reaching 3,000 people nationwide with the “Loss of Sibling to Violence” survey. When asked about the survey, Gormon said, “I refuse to be a focus group of one. I want to know what people are going through, so, it’s time to find out what people are going through. This is one of many ways to start making the necessary changes in our communities, institutions, and systems.”