In light of recent violence, the Oxford community will gather for a prayer vigil and peaceful protest on the Square on Saturday, July 16 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in front of City Hall.
The event has been organized by Oxford residents Rachel Johnson and LaToya Faulk, both of whom were inspired to create an event where people could have a positive outlet to express their grief.
Two other vigils concerning the same events were held in the Oxford area last weekend.
On Saturday, the names of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the Dallas police officers killed at a protest will be read aloud accompanied with a brief biography. It will be followed by a closing prayer from Burns United Methodist Rev. Christopher Diggs.
“When I woke up morning after morning last week to the devastating news of violence and death, I was heartsick,” Johnson said. “A part of me wanted to throw my hands in the air and say ‘screw this.’”
Faulk said although police brutality and gun violence are not new issues, the recursive problems have just now become part of a national conversation where voices that were once marginalized are rising to the surface.
“We sought a space where people could mourn but also be provoked to action through prayer, community solidarity and art,” Faulk said. “Pain and frustration inspired us to organize this event; yet, I hope we encourage participants to direct their pain and frustration toward policy reform, or in ways that foster democratic engagement, and a serious look at the epidemic of gun violence in this country.”
Johnson and Faulk both felt the loss of lives viscerally as the news spread across the nation in the past month.
“In times like these, we need each other, and we need to utilize the talents in our community to encourage and soothe the pain and hopelessness so many of us feel,” Faulk said. “We might be united by pain, but I hope that togetherness, art and prayer provoke us to do right by each other, and to find ways to serve each other in these trying times.”
As of Wednesday, the event on Facebook had been shared multiple times, 313 people were scheduled to attend with nearly 400 more interested.
“As a University town we hope that this becomes not just a place to be encouraged, and find peace and a sense of community, but that it also encourages a meeting of the minds,” Faulk said.
Although the attendees expected to originally attend have multiplied, the intended outcome has not.
“I think that is because the problem of achieving justice, equality, and safety for all Americans sometimes seems insurmountable,” Johnson said. “LaToya and I agreed that doing something, anything, that would bring people together would be helpful, even if it turned out to be a small event. If there is anything that I have learned since we posted the event, it is that there are lots of people just like us out there who want a space to mourn and connect. There are a lot of people in Oxford and the surrounding areas of Mississippi who want to be part of solving these problems. We aren’t ready to throw our hands in the air and give up.”
In the spirit of keeping a community-themed event, several local figures and artists are scheduled to speak during the vigil. Poets Derrick Harriell and Virginia Henry will perform as well as blues singer Effie Burt.
Hate speech or any form action intended to provoke violence will be unacceptable. Local law enforcement will be present at the event to remove disruptive individuals.
Johnson said she and Faulk felt like the vigil and protest are examples of a civic duty to fellow community members.
“I think we all have a part to play in making change that can be in the simple act of taking care of each other, especially those who are suffering,” Johnson said. “It can be in the form of listening with an open heart to another person’s experience of the world.”
Johnson said she believes solving problems starts by establishing common ground.
“I hope this event will help folks find that,” Johnson said. “A vigil is a space to reflect and mourn. A demonstration is a way to make a commitment. It’s a chance for the people of Oxford to publicly commit themselves to engaging with these problems and to identify allies to help them see that commitment realized.”
