JAMES LILLIN
Staff Writer
Fredonia’s Black Student Union hosted a candlelight vigil on Sept. 28 to remember and celebrate the lives lost to police brutality, as well as to push for change on both a campus and a national level.
Attendees were asked to wear all-black in solidarity with the vigil, and almost everyone in the packed-to-the-brim Multipurpose Room was in compliance, with many shirts and hoodies emblazoned with “I CAN’T BREATHE” or “BLACK LIVES MATTER” on them.
The vigil began with attendees standing with their fists in the air, singing James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the “Black American National Anthem.”
The lyrics couldn’t have been more relevant, and the haunting beauty of hundreds singing, “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us/Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us/Facing the rising sun of our new day begun/Let us march on till victory is won,” set the tone for the rest of the service.
The first presentation of the vigil was a piece of performance poetry put on by a group called B.A.N. Culture, titled “Coming to America,” detailing a passionate conversation about the state of race in America.
“Donald Trump lied to you. America was never great,” said performer Markus Arthur, adding “Do black lives make a sound when they’re taken and no one is around?”
After the impactful poetry, statistics were shown via Powerpoint by BSU’s co-chair of public relations Anissa Scharborough detailing the racial breakdown of students at Fredonia, with 78% white students and 5.9% non-Hispanic black students.
“I’m African American,” said Scharborough, “but we have Africans, and people of Caribbean descent, but we get lumped into statistics like these.”
Scharborough went on to point out the issues with reducing students to non-specific numbers, but also didn’t shy away from talking about the problems that all students of color face at Fredonia.
“When you see us on campus you don’t see our names, lives or where we come from,” said Scharborough, “you just see our skin color.”
She then went on to the next slide, which laid out a list of demands and goals for social justice, including cultural sensitivity and diversity training, which is not currently given to faculty or staff, as well as a more diverse staff, increased accountability and cultural awareness, as well as real consequences to actions of racial hate and aggression.
“Who here feels safe in America?” said Scharborough.
Very few people raised their hands, but the few that did were white.
“Everyone in the room should have their hands raised. Now who feels safe here in Fredonia?”
A few more people raised their hands, but most of the hands were white.
“Who here has gone to Walmart, or any store in Fredonia, and been followed around or asked to show their receipts?”
Over fifty hands shot up into the air, almost all of them from students of color.
After this, a group of students of color got up onto the stage, formed a line, and recited brief monologues from the point of view of a person of color who was murdered by the police as a picture of the victim was broadcast over them.
“Aiyana Stanley-Jones,” began one performer. “I was a seven-year-old girl from Detroit, Michigan, who was shot and killed by the police while sleeping during a raid conducted by the Detroit special SWAT team. I had my whole life ahead of me. My life mattered.”
The performance went on, covering a huge number of murders including those of Eric Garner and Sandra Bland, all following a format detailing who they were before ending with “my life mattered.”
By the end of the performance, there was audible gasping and crying throughout the crowd, clearly shaken by the magnitude of the murders and the passion of the performers.
As the vigil ended, an air of camaraderie filled the room, with students of every race in tears, embracing each other and talking about the impact of the service.
“I’m really happy that I went because I felt comfortable there,” said senior acting major Nia Ferguson. “I was like, ‘Wow, I actually feel like I’m in a safe place,’ I could say what I wanted to without being judged and having other people immediately saying that I was wrong.”
“I think the event was very impactful,” said senior theatre arts and media management major Desean Cruz. “It definitely opened up a lot of eyes and showed us what the reality of the community is here.”
Many members of the administration were there, and showed a renewed dedication to making meaningful changes to improve the campus.
“I know that the student leaders at BSU put a lot of effort into it, and it made such an impact,” said President Virginia Horvath. “There’s a strategic plan being developed that addresses some of these which will force action to make sure that these issues stay on our radar.”
“I thought [the vigil] was very professional and that the tone and tenor really showed reverence and respect in celebrating the lives,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Cedric Howard. “The first thing to do is acknowledge that we have issues, and that issues are not always a negative thing, but rather an opportunity that we have to grow as a community and make change for the better.”
Students interested in attending BSU are welcome to come to their general body meeting every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Williams Center S204 ABC.