For four and a half minutes, attendees of Wednesday's candlelight ceremony stood with lit candles in one hand and a raised fist in the other in solidarity with Ferguson, Mo.
Each minute the candles were held represented the four and a half hours Michael Brown laid on the street after Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson shot him. The Ball State Ethnic Theatre Alliance organized the demonstration to honor of the death of Michael Brown and the subsequent protests.
“The pain in this arm you feel after four and a half minutes is only one-one millionth of the pain our brothers have felt in their last breath,” said Nathaniel Thomas, president of ETA, after their moment of silence was over. “Take that pain you feel in your arm and promote change.”
After spending his entire Thanksgiving break protesting on the streets of Atlanta, Thomas wanted to bring action to Ball State's campus.
“I witnessed my best friends being arrested in front of me,” Thomas said. “I witnessed people walking out of work being arrested. I witnessed homeland security and SWAT teams walking down the street with militant riot gear. That week changed me tremendously. Each day we did a protest we were able to bring awareness to the issue.”
For Wednesday's ceremony, Thomas encouraged participants to keep their phones out, and to spread what they were doing on social media.
“Last Monday night, Ferguson released that Darren Wilson wouldn’t be indicted,” Thomas said. “And that caused a lot of outcry on social media. We are here to say to the nation that Ball State is here and we matter."
Canaan Gootee, a sophomore art major and attendee, said highlighting police brutality and injustices that occur to black people was the start of being able to hold people accountable for their actions.
“I feel that Michael Brown’s death was an injustice and being here is sending positive and good vibrations to Ferguson,” Gootee said. “This is the least I can do to show my support and solidarity with the people of Ferguson.”
Dakota Novak, a sophomore political science student, said he came out to show his support for the Ferguson community.
“I know they’re hurting right now, and if I can do anything to help, I will,” he said.
He said he thought it was great to have an organization on campus who tries to engage students in the outside world.
“This is our world, and this is what is happening right now,” Novak said.
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Danielle Batteast, the faculty adviser for ETA, said it was inspirational to see young artists who are informed and concerned about their fellow citizens.
“They know how world problems are their own problems,” Batteast said. “There’s a discussion of race in America, and it’s an inspiration that there are young people having the conversations our parents didn’t have.”
Thomas said he plans on continuing to spread awareness about race and the relevance of the events in Ferguson.
“We’re going to have our conversations and I’ll be able to push the campus to see someone who has lived first hand what we are talking about,” Thomas said. “So many people have been lost in the darkness of this world in which we are fighting for and this change we are demanding. This candle light ceremony is specifically to shed light and say Ferguson we’re here in support.”
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