MECHA, a University of Oregon student union, held a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas at the EMU amphitheater on May 5.
Before the event, MECHA members set up a memorial around the lamppost outside the EMU amphitheater with candles, flowers and photos of the victims.
MECHA members started organizing the event that morning and spent the day spreading the word about the event. Members felt a need to show up for their community and offer support, Matilde Arias, UO student and head of recruitment and retainment for MECHA, said.
“I was shocked at the amount of people that came,” Arias said. “I know people care, but when it’s your own community, it just means a lot to just see everyone’s support and know you’re not alone.”
While Arias led the event, other members handed out candles and read poems.
The photos of the students and teachers killed in the May 24 shooting were displayed in front of the amphitheater stage surrounded by candles and flowers.
The event started with a moment of silence while attendees held their candles in the air. Following the moment of silence, Paris Woodward-Ganz, UO freshman, read a poem titled “Tiny Graves” written in reaction to the recent shooting.
MECHA organizers offered the stage as a place for anyone to speak and express their thoughts and feelings.
“So many people had stuff to say, and I’m glad we’re all outraged about the same things because we cannot keep allowing this to happen,” Woodward-Ganz said.
Speakers expressed their views on gun-violence policy and a need for change. Others spoke about the normalization of gun violence, including the standardization of lockdown drills in schools.
Kennedy Gregory, a UO senior, said her experience at the event was bittersweet.
“I felt it was very special that we were all able to come together in such a short amount of time to pay respects to so many beautiful lives,” Gregory said. “But it makes me sad. We’ve been through this so many times before. We’re still coming to these vigils. People’s lives are still being lost.”
Many students spoke about the fear these tragedies bring for themselves and their young loved ones who attend public schools.
“I have a little sister, she’s nine years old,” UO senior Wendy Palafox-Arceo said. “I fear picking up my phone and having the worst news.”
Kati Rodriguez Pèrez, a UO senior, said she was frustrated about the lack of recognition on campus of the tragedy outside of the memorial service.
“We’re just supposed to move on with our lives and just continue and try to forget that these things are happening,” Pèrez said.
The event concluded around 9:30 p.m. after many community members shared their feelings and grief with the community. Attendees were asked to join in a moment of silence before extinguishing their candles.
“Amor Eterno” by Rocío Dúrcal was played for the audience following the moment of silence. Arias said it is a popular funeral song that expresses the eternal love for loved ones who have died.