A vigil for the lives lost in the Orlando shooting was held in the Union by the Zeta Mu chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the UNC LGBTQ center Wednesday night.
Embee Kanu, president of the Zeta Mu chapter, said he wanted to hold the vigil to offer a space of healing. He said the UNC LGBTQ center partnered with his fraternity and helped them find resources to put on the event.
“When this happened we felt that it was important to have a center entity that was representative of the community that was most directly affected so we reached out and contacted the LGBT community center and they said they would be happy to partner with us.”
Kanu said he was happy with the turnout of the vigil, but that wasn’t the point of holding it.
“I wasn’t really concerned with the numbers, any turnout was a good turnout,” Kanu said. “And I feel like anybody who needed to be here and wanted to be here was here.”
During the vigil, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Winston Crisp said he was proud to see community members come together on campus.
“Even though it’s summertime and even though we’re scattered all over the place I saw plenty of members of our campus community last night over in Carrboro where we were joined by the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill and I’m proud that you’re all out here tonight to help us to stand together to show solidarity and support and to grieve together for those who have been lost to this horrific, horrific act of violence,” Crisp said.
“I appreciate the brothers of the Zeta Alpha Phi, from the Carolina Union and from the LGBTQ center on campus for coming together to give us this opportunity to stand with one another and say ‘We are not going to be ruled by hatred, that we are not going to be ruled by fear, that we are not going to be ruled by bigotry, that we are going to stand tall and we are going to stand together to say this is not the way, that this is wrong and that we won’t stand for it.’”
Crisp said he thinks for one person on campus to matter, every person on campus must matter.
