On Mar. 11, Queen’s held a candlelit vigil in Grant Hall for peace in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion earlier this month.
Erin Burns, the interfaith chaplain, hosted the event and called on of the community to come together for peace and stability.
“We are here today because we want to respond to our conflict, to fear, and to terror. We are here wanting to do something,” Burns said at the event.
“We’re here with different agencies that have different personal experiences, but we have come together in our body for peace […] We understand in this moment that longing isn’t enough, our hope isn’t enough.”
Principal Patrick Deane also attended and spoke.
“The infliction of pain and suffering in foreign occupation provokes a sort of crisis in the University […] The mission of the University is not to entrench, but to find alternative ways to build just and lawful societies,” Deane said.
Ivan Shapovalov took the podium after Deane and said the least Queen’s community can do is something positive for those in the community around them.
He spoke on his own lived experiences as a student from Ukraine.
“The events back home are telling me that thoughts and prayers no longer count. The words condemning the war in Ukraine are nothing compared to the sacrifice of my brother and father picking up arms,” Shapovalov said.
“Some people just find themselves in a warzone one day, but the rest of us have a privilege and perhaps an obligation to choose to fight the small wrongs of life.”
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].