MUNCIE, Ind. — It was a combination of students and concerned members of the Muncie community that showed up to the Young Democratic Socialist of America (YDSA) vigil held Feb. 6. They gathered around the Peace Plaza on Ball State’s campus as the sun began to set; event organizers like Jackie Dudek started handing out artificial candles to attendees. The core message of the vigil was honoring people who have died by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.).
Dudek is the chair of the outreach committee at YDSA. Alongside other members, Dudek opened the vigil with statements expressing thanks and gratitude for the turnout despite the weather. The vigil was sparked after the recent deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Their deaths added to the ongoing nationwide protests against I.C.E.
“What we’ve seen across the country regarding the deployment of I.C.E and D.H.S in cities across the country, we’re all appalled by that,” Dudek said.
After the opening statements were made, Dudek continued the vigil with a moment of silence. The only noise during the 10 minutes of silence were names. The names of those who have died I.C.E., read out by Dudek. Gathered around the Peace Plaza, faces illuminated by artificial candles, the cold wind carried the names around the vigil.
“It’s not just about organizing around the issue, although that is part of it, it’s an opportunity to take a breath,” Dudek said. “To be in community with our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis, Chicago and other places.”
The remainder of the vigil was filled by speakers from the audience. Some were leaders of on-campus organizations, while others have first hand experiences of their families being impacted by I.C.E.
One community member that stepped forward was pastor Matt Gerdes. He spoke about the need for love and compassion in the world's current state.
“I wanted to stand up for the idea of caring and loving our neighbor,” Gerdes said. “Caring about the harm that’s done and trying to be better about having standards for love and care.”
The ending of the vigil was adorned by attendees singing We Shall Overcome, with each voice joining in for the gospel based song.
“For us it’s just; we want to stand in solidarity with these communities, so we’re going to organize this and fill that need,” Dudek said.
Contact Aiden Murray with comments at aiden.murray@bsu.edu.
