A candlelight vigil held for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti brought mourners at Binghamton University together as speakers told stories that hit close to home and shared personal reflections.
The vigil, held in the Tillman Lobby of the Old University Union and hosted by MALIK Fraternity Inc., touched on the effects of the tragedy as well as fundraising efforts for the relief.
“Our main goal was to bring the situation home, and not to let the time or distance desensitize us from what happened,” said Mike Day, a senior majoring in accounting and president of MALIK. “This was a remembrance for those who suffered. We also wanted to extend our condolences to anyone who lost a family member in Haiti.”
BU senior Vanessa Pierre, a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., spoke to the 150 students and faculty who were in attendance about her relatives in Haiti at the time the earthquake hit.
Pierre’s half-brother and aunt both went to visit family a week before the earthquake hit, and although they had plans to fly home the day of the earthquake, they could not be reached until the following day.
“That was terrifying in itself,” Pierre reflected on the situation.
But that was only the beginning of the concerns Pierre had for family and friends living in Haiti.
“Both of my parents are Haitian … and now most of their families are in Haiti,” she said. “My mother called and finally got a hold of some of her sisters and they were OK. We weren’t sure if the house in Gonaives was OK, but they were. They just had a few injuries.”
It took Pierre’s family two days to contact her other half-brother and nephew who were in the capital city when the earthquake hit, but she found out that they were alive and well.
“He [Pierre’s half-brother] said there were no words for the state of things,” she said. “It was unbelievable, honestly unbelievable — those were his only words.”
Pierre said that her family members counts their blessings every day because they know friends who have families who were not as lucky as her own.
In addition to Pierre, who spoke during an open-microphone session toward the end of the vigil, other community members talked about the history of Haiti.
BU professor of sociology William Martin spoke on how the U.S.–Haitian relationship was a direct cause of the poverty and devastation in Haiti.
Kenneth Boston, capital project management coordinator at BU, then gave a history of the economy and environment of Haiti before the earthquake.
“We cannot stand idly by,” Boston said as he urged students to get involved in helping the recovery of Haiti.
During the open-mic portion of the vigil Cynthia Amoah, an undeclared freshman, recited the poem “We Are Warriors.”
After the poem, leaders of student organizations spoke on how their groups were helping with relief efforts through fundraisers and related events.
The host fraternity introduced MALIK Action Now, an organization that was set up to aid in Haiti relief, that will be collecting donations and goods through tabling in the New University Union. It will also host social events where proceeds will go to a Haiti relief charity to be announced.
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. plans to sell T-shirts in the New University Union for around $10, where all proceeds will also go to a charity that sends 100 percent of funds to Haiti, Pierre said.
As another fundraiser toward relief efforts, the brothers of Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, Inc. will use raffles and Super Bowl squares. They emphasized that even small contributions can help. They said that $10 can supply milk for 25 children and $25 can help treat water.
“There are so many opportunities to support relief efforts,” said Ramy Ibrahim, a senior majoring in computer engineering and the vice president of MALIK. “Students sometimes feel that [fundraising opportunities] are inaccessible, so we want to bring the opportunities to their door so they can see what they like and participate.”