West Chester University’s Student Government Association held a candlelight vigil on Thursday, Oct. 6 as a means of standing in solidarity against social injustice.
Dozens gathered on the front steps of Sykes Student Union at dusk and held lit candles in memory of those who have suffered from recent acts of social injustices across the country. Multiple speakers were on hand, including administrators and students, to give their own thoughts on matters such as racism, oppression and activism.
SGA President Montana Leaks gave the opening statements, saying that the turnout made her proud to be a West Chester student.
“I knew from the first time I stepped on this campus that I wanted to be a Golden Ram, and it’s things like this that remind me why. It is so great to see people my age advocating for change by standing in solidarity,” Leaks said.
Following Leaks was Hiram Martinez, the WCU Assistant Director of Social Equity, who reminded the crowd that West Chester’s campus has its own social issues that must be addressed.
“This campus is a wonderful place to be. You should all be very proud of your university. But like all others across this great land, it’s not perfect. We have our issues and nuances like every campus does,” Martinez said.
He went on to say that these issues, along with those occurring outside of campus, must be dealt with together.
“As a campus, we should not have to wait until a tragedy occurs for us to come together to talk about some issues, particularly if those issues are festering under the surface. The symbolic emphasis of this event, the lighting of these candles, is that it only takes one spark, one person, to start that flame, and with a little bit of work together, it can be contagious.”
Following a moment of silence held for all of those who have fallen victim to social injustice, Dr. Zeb Davenport, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, spoke about improving the world for the sake of the next generation.
“I don’t just stand here for myself. I have a son who’s 14 years old. I have a daughter who’s 11 years old. My hope is that together, we can make this a better place for kids like them,” Davenport remarked.
Davenport then said that he had a special guest with him and asked Anand Shah, son of Dr. Vishal Shah, the Associate Dean of WCU’s School of Science and Mathematics, to join him in front of the crowd.
Davenport said, “I stand with this young man right here. He’s nine years old. He said he came out because he wanted to be a part of this with his dad. So as we stand to stomp out hate, we stand for this young man’s future.”
Derrick Ford of the student group Poesis performed a singing of the hymn“Amazing Grace,” saying that songs can be used as a means of healing.
“These hymns got us through tough times. They’ve been passed down through our families. Maybe these hymns can help our generation and the next,” Ford said.
Keeping with the theme of self-expression, Samantha Jeune, a women and gender studies major, read a poem that she wrote about her struggles with racial issues. Jeune then talked about the difficulties she has faced on campus when it comes to acceptance, and how similar struggles are affecting others at West Chester.
“After my first semester, I felt like I didn’t belong, and there were multiple instances where I wanted to transfer out. But I was able to get support systems through family, friends and professors on campus who cared about me, and that encouraged me to stay,” Jeune said. “But not everyone gets that experience, and not everyone stays. I think it says a lot about our campus climate. As shown in the State of the University Address and the campus climate survey results, we have issues of racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia on our campus, and that needs to be acknowledged.”
Public Safety Lieutenant Ray Stevenson, who has been with WCU in some way or another for 31 years, gave perspective on what it means to have a campus accepting of diversity.
“I’ve been a student, I’ve been a staff member and I’m an administrator now. I was here when we had the Ku Klux Klan marched down the center of West Chester. I was also here when we had Khalil Muhammad at Main Hall. This university has had many a people come in with a variety of different opinions, different beliefs and different religions. That’s what makes this university,” Stevenson said.
Next to speak was social work major Moira Maloney. After learning in class about the effects social media can have on policy, Maloney realized the importance and power of the hashtags that come from tragedies around the nation.
“Often, these hashtags arise from community members trying to do one or both of two things: show respect to the victim and the family of the victim, and create awareness of the social injustices. We as a university and a community can also do these two things. We can tweet and gather like we are tonight, and we can take the time to make ourselves more aware and more vocal about what is happening in communities like ours across the country.”
Matthew Arizarry, a peer mentor for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, spoke about the truth regarding how much change individuals are capable of creating.
“Truth is, we all have potential to do great things. Truth is, life is more than just waking up, having a nine to five, and not making a change in the world. Truth is, it’s more than just black and white lines. West Chester is more than just racial and social barriers on our campus. It’s more of being a unit, being here together as students and as people that want to make a difference,” Arizarry said.
To solidify his point, Arizarry recited the poem “Our Deepest Fear” by Marianne Williamson.
The final scheduled speaker of the night was diversity consultant Heather Hackman, who was holding a program in Sykes Student Union earlier that day and chose to stay on campus for the vigil. Her advice to the white people in the audience was to change the way they think about their role in the fight against racial injustice.
“Racial injustice isn’t about being an ally to people of color. It’s about recognizing that your life as a white person is on the line as long as systems of racial oppression are allowed to maintain and stay intact. I am not just an ally to native people and people of color. Instead, I feel that I want to live, and work, and be alongside them in the fight against racial injustice.”
Dylan Messerschmidt is a third-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at DM837837@wcupa.edu. His Twitter is @DylanMesh.