On Sunday Sept. 20, the Alliance for Community Enrichment Cultural Club leadership held a vigil for Black Lives on the soccer field behind Letchworth Dining Hall. There was a large crowd of not only Geneseo students but also members of the Geneseo community who came to pay their respects for people who have suffered under the hands of police brutality and systemic racism.
“We estimated between 50 and a hundred people might come. We had enough candles for that, and we ran out of candles early in the attendance because so many people were present…” Chief Diversity Officer robbie routenberg said. “The solidness and the energy that people offered to the event, I think, is part of what made it impactful and therefore a success.”
With the prevalence of COVID-19 and social distancing being in effect, the vigil was approved over the summer by the school cabinet.
“With the death of Daniel Prude in Rochester, that sort of brought up a lot of feelings. Working with robbie, the rest of the office and Sarah Frank and Monica Schneider from the diversity commission, we decided it would be a good thing to put out a statement to let students know that if they’re feeling any kind of way we’re here to support them,” Director of Multicultural Programs and Services Sasha Eloi-Evans said.
The vigil was structured in a semi-circle of students and community members, where people read several obituaries. Candles were lit and purple paper was burned in memory of those who lost their lives at the hands of police brutality.
Those in attendance said the vigil will help to serve as a steppingstone in the community as an opportunity to educate others and encourage them to advocate for equality among all groups of people, regardless of physical appearance or religious background.
“Education really is about self-education and educating others with privilege and taking that as a lifelong, ongoing commitment … whether that means reading, attending events, watching documentaries...” routenberg said. “[Education is] to hear from many different perspectives, to take that agency and action for oneself and to—without placing the burden on minoritized members of our community—do the education, to still seek out the opportunity to listen to those voices, to center those voices and to make sure that they are able to speak for themselves and not others speaking for them.”
Evans said that the process of continuous education about systemic racism is unfortunately a learning curve for most.
“It’s just like taking a class. That sometimes the material is going to be difficult, but you just don’t say okay, it’s difficult. I’m going to stop,” Evans said. “You want to pass the class. You want to go onto the next level if it’s a sequential course, right? It’s a journey, not a destination. We have to be more open to feeling—be open to discomfort to really grow as individuals.”