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Speaker 1 00:00:07 February 24th, 2022. The war starts, no explanations are now February 20 Lexi car. The takes four days, I think about Anusha and how much candy you must have been spent to calm him in the car. I think about my grandmother and her cat, who was left behind along everything else. I think about crossing the country and returning, I think about how he must March 10. Our times are between though was complains over that. What has been making mess
Speaker 2 00:01:00 On Thursday, April 7th, Northwestern for Ukraine posted a vigil at LAR chapel. This vigil came 42 days after Russia began a military invasion of Ukraine resulting in the fleeing of millions of Ukrainians By candlelight Ukrainian students shared their personal testimonies and the testimonies of others about the impact of the conflict to the dozen of people in attendance.
Speaker 3 00:01:27 Our goal was to create an event that really humanized the pain that's felt by the people of Ukraine, but we really wanted to focus this specific event on just making sure that people know that behind every horrible number that you see on the news, every image that you see, like there are actual people with families, with personalities, with stories, just because I think that that oftentimes gets overlooked.
Speaker 2 00:01:54 That was Sonya VO boy, a second year McCormick student, and one of the coordinators of the vigil. She moved from Ukraine to the us in 2010, her speech during the vigil surrounded last visit to Ukraine in December of 2021 and her family's life there ever since fall boy was not the only student with a story to share. But first there was music Played by professor Kent Brooks of the school of communication As the music swelled. And then decrescendo Northwestern's chaplain. Reverend Kristin glass Perez took to the podium.
Speaker 1 00:02:43 We see lives lost and Fran searching for the is not yet found. We have seen many bodies, hearts and spirits bear the pain of these days. We watch splinter with distrust. The earth bears the scars of our cycles
Speaker 2 00:03:07 Of life dressed in a blue gradient shirt and a large beaded yellow necklace. The Reverend embraced Ukraine's colors in her clothes. She passed the mic to history. Professor yo, a non Petroski stern. The professor spoke of his mother, his friends and others. He knows who have seemingly dropped everything to aid Ukrainians.
Speaker 5 00:03:29 26th of February. I'm calling my mom in ki mom, what are you doing during the day? I talked to French British and American journalists who are coming to interview me. There are not that many people who can't speak English and who understand history. As you know, I want them says my mom. My impression was that everybody has in his everybody's held and effort. Everybody he's part this distance
Speaker 2 00:04:09 After Petroski stern returned to his seat, everyone rose members of U Ukraine occupying the first pew rose their right hand to their hearts and listened to the Ukrainian, a national Anthem Communication. Second year, Maria Ames stood towards the middle of the church. She attended the vigil as a show of solidarity for her country of birth. But once the national Anthem started playing surrounded by other Ukrainian students and friends, NAES couldn't hold back her emotion.
Speaker 6 00:04:50 I had already kind of expected that I would get emotional at the ceremony. Um, I'm not a very religious person, but I did grow up going to church a lot, especially like Ukrainian churches. And so I think sitting there and like speak to the training national Anthem being played, um, really took me back, um, back to like my childhood and experiences I had growing up as like Aranian immigrant yet also American girl in Chicago. Um, and I also, like, I know most of the speakers and we all understand like the struggle was that everyone is going through and like the hardships that this entire situation has entailed. Um, and it was just nice to hear from my peers, especially who have like a really big UK identity talk about those things. Um, but it definitely made me very emotional through most of the Mitchell,
Speaker 2 00:05:39 An endless February 24th, the day that the Russian and be and began an endless wondering of what has changed on the other side of the world. These themes were the central figures of the poems and speeches like VO boys shared during the vigil. Weinberg's second year Shaya Garla took to the floor and read a speech entitled and was February 24th written by Ukrainian student and Weinberg first year en SoCo.
Speaker 1 00:06:10 I, and when the first news about my city came up, I panicking and asking my sister on the phone. It's not missiles, right? It cannot be a missile. Although I dream of returning to key, I'm scared to see how my home city has changed to walk in my district 15 minutes from my home and see a building that I saw in the news, because it was destroyed during my mom who will never be the same after the day. She have to flee her home, talk to people,
Speaker 2 00:06:42 Follow boy's speech followed. Then Valer, ROHO a Weinberg's second year spoke of two stories from SNE. One of which is their sisters. The testimonies concluded with Weinberg's second year student IREA up Petri who read, allowed a viral series of text messages between a mother and son in Mario, Reverend Perez returned to the podium to say a prayer. Then the room went silent and the candle lighting ceremony began
Speaker 1 00:07:15 You that that
Speaker 2 00:07:24 Members of mu Ukraine and the reverends walked along the center of the pews lighting, the candles of attendees, Raho stood at the mic and read along a list of Ukrainians who have given their life in the fight against Russian invasion. And for VO boy, the power of the ceremony stayed with her.
Speaker 3 00:07:46 I know a lot of them were kind of like Ukrainian names, but even hearing people with like the same first name as some of like my loved ones, and think it meant a lot to, uh, uh, us as the Ukrainians that are kind of affected by the war to that space.
Speaker 2 00:08:02 This vigil was hosted alongside a larger national movement by the Ukrainian student union of America to raise awareness for the ongoing conflict. And U Ukraine has also hosted previous fundraising events and has donated over $15,000 to organizations supporting the Ukrainian mill and humanitarian aid. Once the Reverend blew out, her candle and attendees began to exit the chapel members of N U Ukraine remained seated. They held their candles taking in the power of the event they had organized and the stories they had shared.
Speaker 3 00:08:52 I mean, it's, it's just really emotional to think that again, behind every one of those names is a story. And also just a huge network of people that loved them, of people that cared about them, of people that you know, are going to be mourning their UE death for a very long time. So I think it was really powerful. I was really just hoping to put a name and a, a face to like the atrocities that are happening in Ukraine
Speaker 2 00:09:20 For w N R news. I'm a Bianco.
