2008 Woodie Awards
Vigil highlights Violence Awareness Week
Sean Szeles '08
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: News
Violence Awareness Week began Feb. 20 with a somber, candlelight vigil in the Chapel of St. Joseph.
The event is aimed at bringing Philadelphia's high rate of violent crime into the University limelight.
The room grew brighter as students and mothers of some of the victims lit 392 candles, one for each victim in 2007.
As the candles were lit, speakers read the victims' names. It took about 20 minutes to get through the list.
Dorothy Johnson-Speight, whose son was shot over a parking space in 2001, encouraged the mothers to turn grief into change.
"I'm keeping him alive every time I share his story," said Johnson-Speight. "Work for change. That work is going to help to heal you."
Johnson-Speight formed Mothers in Charge, a program dedicated to violence prevention, to do just that.
Women from the program filled five pews in the chapel.
They came with photographs of those killed in urban violence and wore t-shirts calling for prevention.
Most of them also had children who were victimized by violent crimes. Johnson-Speight and another mother lost their children to the same man.
As the names were read, cries came from the section where the Mothers in Charge sat.
When the names of their children were read, several mothers stood and displayed the photographs of their deceased loved ones.
As the list went on, one mother shook her head wearily.
"Some things should not happen," said Richard Malloy, S.J., who presided over the nondenominational ceremony.
Officer Shawn Hamilton of the 19th District Victims' Assistance Division of the Philadelphia police attended the vigil with another officer. Hamilton said she attends a lot of similar programs during April, Crime Victims month.
"It helps when you see people care and can relate to people who went through the same thing," Hamilton said.
She said she knew several of the mothers because she works in the districts in which their sons were victimized.
The vigil was sponsored by the University Institute for Violence Research and Prevention (IVRP) and the Faith-Justice Institute.
It began a week-long teach-in sponsored by the IVRP, which hopes to create a discussion on campus of issues relating to Philadelphia and its high rate of violent crime.
"392 candles. A few less than last year. Let's pray for a day when there will be no candles at all," Malloy said, as the vigil ended.
The event is aimed at bringing Philadelphia's high rate of violent crime into the University limelight.
The room grew brighter as students and mothers of some of the victims lit 392 candles, one for each victim in 2007.
As the candles were lit, speakers read the victims' names. It took about 20 minutes to get through the list.
Dorothy Johnson-Speight, whose son was shot over a parking space in 2001, encouraged the mothers to turn grief into change.
"I'm keeping him alive every time I share his story," said Johnson-Speight. "Work for change. That work is going to help to heal you."
Johnson-Speight formed Mothers in Charge, a program dedicated to violence prevention, to do just that.
Women from the program filled five pews in the chapel.
They came with photographs of those killed in urban violence and wore t-shirts calling for prevention.
Most of them also had children who were victimized by violent crimes. Johnson-Speight and another mother lost their children to the same man.
As the names were read, cries came from the section where the Mothers in Charge sat.
When the names of their children were read, several mothers stood and displayed the photographs of their deceased loved ones.
As the list went on, one mother shook her head wearily.
"Some things should not happen," said Richard Malloy, S.J., who presided over the nondenominational ceremony.
Officer Shawn Hamilton of the 19th District Victims' Assistance Division of the Philadelphia police attended the vigil with another officer. Hamilton said she attends a lot of similar programs during April, Crime Victims month.
"It helps when you see people care and can relate to people who went through the same thing," Hamilton said.
She said she knew several of the mothers because she works in the districts in which their sons were victimized.
The vigil was sponsored by the University Institute for Violence Research and Prevention (IVRP) and the Faith-Justice Institute.
It began a week-long teach-in sponsored by the IVRP, which hopes to create a discussion on campus of issues relating to Philadelphia and its high rate of violent crime.
"392 candles. A few less than last year. Let's pray for a day when there will be no candles at all," Malloy said, as the vigil ended.
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