Black History Month commences at USD with vigil
Vigil honors ancestors and victims of Police Brutality
Anjali Dalal-Whelan / Asst. News Editor / The USD Vista
On Feb. 1, to kick off Black History Month, the Black Student Resource Commons (BSRC) held a vigil at Paseo de Colachis. The vigil served as a space for students to commemorate victims of police brutality and other forms of violence, as well as all ancestors and loved ones who have passed in the last few years. Police brutality has been at the forefront of people’s minds since the new year began, with the killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police on Jan. 7.
Nichols was stopped by Memphis Police in a traffic stop, beaten, taken into custody and died on Jan. 10.
The police officers’ body camera footage exposed the disturbing encounter and led to protests in Memphis and other cities across the country.
Five of the officers involved in the killing were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. A trial date has not been set yet for the former officers.
On Feb. 1, Tyre Nichols funeral was held in Memphis, and hundreds gathered to pay their respects and call for change. According to CNN, Vice President Kamala Harris attended the funeral and remarked that she hoped Tyre Nichols’s death would “shine a light on the path toward peace and justice.” Vice President Harris also called on Congress to sign the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that proposes reforms to the policing system in an attempt to increase police accountability and diminish racial profiling.
Tyre Nichols’s death is the most recent example of the ongoing issue of police brutality against Black people; following other highly publicized killings such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Director of USD’s BSRC and the organizer of the vigil, Jay Rice, explained the value of having a space to commemorate tragedy before celebrating black history and culture.
Rice commented that police brutality and racism greatly impact the Black members of USD’s community, even when they occur outside of San Diego.
“Anti-Black sentiments, police brutality and violence impact the ways in which Black people maneuver through physical spaces, the ways in which we determine how we interact with law enforcement, interact with authority, the ways in which we interact — even down to the classroom — and police our behavior not to attract the attention of folks,” Rice said. “So there are a lot of complex layers to this. And by talking about it, we’re able to establish a campus culture that allows for Black folks, all folks, to feel safe in our campus community.”
Faculty, staff and students were encouraged to attend the vigil.
USD first-year Hailey Williams explained why she attended the vigil.
“I feel like present-wise I don’t really pay too much attention to the [specific] victims.” We just kind of see slavery as a whole, and it was a tragic event, but we don’t really take the time to really think about exactly what they went through [individually],” Williams said.
USD first-year Abby Daniel added that the vigil was important for her because of what it represented in the past.
“We’re giving thanks to the people who went away in their lives before us. We’re two Black girls that go to a university now, and it’s because of the people that came before us who had to go through the sacrifices and the pain of being Black in America,” Daniel said. “It’s a really good opportunity to kind of sit and stay grounded and not only mourn, but give thanks.”
The BSRC’s vigil held space for people grieving the loss of Black individuals, whether they were known personally or not, and created the intention of giving thanks before a month of celebration.
