WMU-Cooley Law School's Black Law Student Association (BLSA), Student Bar Association (SBA), Children's Law Society and Sports and Entertainment Law Society hosted a candlelight vigil in Grand Rapids June 24 to honor the individuals who lost their lives in the Charleston Emanuel Church shooting, and to recognize the racial disputes throughout our country's history.
Gwyne Thomas, vice president of WMU-Cooley BLSA spoke during the vigil.
"It is disheartening that our nation has become so accustomed to gun and racial violence that we no longer flinch when the media alerts us of tragic events," she said. "We cannot allow that to be the case in the instance of the horrible tragedy in the killing of nine black members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of which was a state senator. As a country that has fought tooth and nail for freedom, we are somehow oblivious to the racial bondage we have never quite overcome. June 17, 2015, is a day that will not be forgotten. As we continue to grapple with the events in Charleston, we must remember that unrecognized and often covert racial tensions exist to this day."
On June 26, WMU-Cooley's Lansing campus BLSA organization held a moment of silence to show solidarity and promote community.
"We are always trying to promote diversity and community," said Edward Speights, BLSA president for the Lansing campus.
A moment of silence was also held at the law school's Tampa Bay campus.
Published: Tue, Jun 30, 2015
