K Organizer Wayne Barnaby with Interim President Liz Preston and Vice President of Student Affairs carton Pickron at the World Peace Vigil on Monday at Westfield State. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Just a day and a half before Thanksgiving break on Monday evening, about 30 students and faculty gathered on the campus green in freezing temperatures for a moment of silence and a desire for peace in the world.
Wayne Barnaby, a student ambassador at the university, said the idea of the World Peace Vigil was started in response to the Paris attacks on November 13 that left 130 dead. Barnaby said that he discussed the idea with Leslie Braxton Campbell of the Black Student Union, of which he is also a member.
“We both realized that it was a better idea to invite everybody. There’s more going on in the world than just the Paris attacks,” Barnaby said.
Barnaby reached out and invited Samantha Kendall of the student organization called the Revolution against Campus Sexual Assault. Kendall said she thought the vigil would be a great way to restore peace and unity and love on campus. After plans were already made, Kendall, who is from Sharon, Mass. said she learned of the death of Eric Schwartz, a teenager from her own home town who was killed last Wednesday in a terrorist attack in Israel, where he was studying.
Wayne Barnaby and Samantha Kendall, organizers of the World Peace Vigil on the Westfield State campus green Monday night. (Photo by Amy Porter)
“The world can be such a dark and gloomy place. We wanted to bring some light,” Kendall said.
Father Warren Savage and Imam Rasul Seifullah of the Campus Interfaith Center both spoke words of faith to the group.
Savage encouraged the students, telling them that the light inside of them was stronger than the candles they lit.
“Be the light that you are. People will be attracted to your goodness,” Savage said.
“We’re passing the baton onto you. People are going to follow your lead,” said Seifullah. He then shared his daily mantra: No more hurt for anybody.
Carton Pickron, Vice President of Student Affairs, who attended the vigil along with Interim President Liz Preston, then asked everyone to repeat Seifullah’s phrase, “No more hurt.”
Barnaby then asked those who were willing to join in a moment of silence, before the group dispersed.
