Trinity University students, faculty and local residents gathered for a Solidarity Vigil on Aug. 21, 2017 near Miller Fountain on the campus to show support for people affected by Charlottesville and other recent events.
The gathering, organized by the Trinity University Humanities Collective, was also to show "ongoing commitment to the humanistic combination of scholarship with allyship and advocacy."
Visiting Assistant Professor Benjamin Eldon Stevens, Ph.D. guided the vigil and read the poems "Bashert" by Irena Klepfisz, and "Hymn" by Sherman Alexie.
Among the speakers was Trinity University President Danny Anderson, Ph.D. who talked about journalist and author Krista Tippett, who highlights people who try to create justice in the world. Paraphrasing Tippett, Anderson said: "These are people who don't wait for the right person, the perfect answer, the best data, but they know that they are called to always wrestle to shine light to dispel darkness."
"Being here together," he said, "we are all working to shine that light to dispel the darkness that destroys, that pulls us apart, that creates the racism, the bigotry, the violence."