To commemorate the loss of many Black lives over the years, in the spirit of Black History Month, the Unified Black Students Society held a vigil in the Lakeside Lodge for students to attend. On February 26, students gathered in The Lodge to spend time together and to honor the memory of black lives that have left us. Attendees decorated paper lanterns and wrote dedications to many names like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Emmett Louis Till. Others dedicated their lanterns to Black family members or friends that passed away. Once the lanterns were finished, students could place a flameless light candle inside.

Food was also offered at the event, providing lemonade, ice water, and food like chicken tenders and mini quiches. Memorable songs were played, mostly of the hip hop genre, that had attendees singing along passionately. The event, while small, proved to be uniting for Black students and non-Black students that arrived.

“It’s a vigil for all Black lives lost, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be anything involving police brutality,” Taylor White, Educational Chief of the Unified Black Students Society, commented. The lanterns had many names of Black victims of police brutality and other political and social violence, but also included those that passed away from natural causes, sickness, and other situations. “It’s important to me because I’ve personally lost a lot of family, so to be able to represent them in any way is really special to me,” White said.