Christina Littlefield, professor of Journalism and Religion and Currents Magazine adviser, reads a “prayer of lament” during the Renée Good vigil in the Amphitheatre on Jan. 22. After each lamentation, most of the audience said “Lord have mercy” in unison with Littlefield. Photos by Oliver Evans
Around 30 community members gathered in the Amphitheatre for a vigil honoring the life of Renée Good on Jan. 22.
Several students and one faculty member spoke during the event, organized by the Pepperdine College Democrats after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis fatally shot Good in her car, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The killing prompted anti-ICE protests across the nation, according to NPR.
“We wanted to marry Pepperdine’s Christian ideals of service, of community, of honor with the grief that we’re all feeling,” said senior Anniah Smith, president of the College Democrats chapter and a Graphic Perspectives staff writer.
Attendees, among them two professors, were handed battery-powered candlesticks to hold throughout the evening vigil. Smith opened the event by speaking about how the killing was a “deeply terrifying moment,” regardless of political beliefs.
“Community is the best way for us to fight back against the fear that we’re all so rightfully feeling,” Smith said. “That’s why I wanted us to gather all here today, not only in remembrance, but also to be support for one another because what we need more than anything is to depend on our peers.”
Christina Littlefield, professor of Journalism and Religion, gave a lengthy “prayer of lament,” while stressing that her presence was not intended to endorse any political party. Littlefield serves as the adviser for Currents magazine, which belongs to Pepperdine Graphic Media.
“Lord, we lament that this global instability and the brokenness of our own system has led to so much fear and hatred of the other, where immigrants are being dehumanized and denounced in harmful ways, and used as scapegoats for all other ills, whether that be crime or economic hardship,” Littlefield said. “Lord have mercy.”
Senior Anniah Smith, president of Pepperdine College Democrats and a Graphic Perpsectives staff writer, speaks at the Renée Good vigil Jan. 22. Smith encouraged the audience “not to brave this storm alone.”
Senior Annie Casey, the chapter’s vice president, then gave a speech where she profiled Good’s life. She said Good should be remembered for how she lived, not only how she died.
Junior Emma Moran, the chapter’s secretary, followed after. Moran, who got choked up during her speech, shared her personal anxieties about being an immigrant during this time. She said she was born in Peru and became a naturalized U.S. citizen at a young age.
“Getting the text from my mom asking me to start carrying around my passport in my backpack is something that I didn’t think would have to come,” Moran said. “I ask us to just think of compassion and empathy in these hard moments and as we pay remembrance to Renée Good and to many of the other lives that have been lost or harmed.”
After that, junior Ashley Burton, GSA Crossroads President and Graphic Perspectives Editor, spoke about the killing, emphasizing the ways Good’s queerness has been either “erased” or “weaponized” by different media outlets.
“I ask that you walk forward in your life and ask, ‘How can I be like Renée Good?’” Burton said. “‘How can I stand up for others around me?’ Join a club. Join an outside organization. Protest.”
Senior Carolina Dawkins led a second prayer before moving the crowd to take a moment of silence. Worship music then played over the Amphitheatre speakers for a few minutes before junior Molly Sams, the chapter treasurer, spoke.
“We are coming together to grieve,” Sams said. “To grieve the loss of life, to grieve a nation that is pulling people off the streets and tearing families apart. A nation that will punish you for looking out for your neighbors, for protecting the members of your communities.”
A poster signed by vigil attendees hangs on the Freedom Wall on Jan. 22. One student wrote, “Fill each other’s cups with kindness.”
Smith gave one final prayer to end the vigil before inviting attendees to write along the margins of a poster that said “#DoGood.” After the audience dispersed, Smith hung the poster on the nearby Freedom Wall, next to two other posters with infographics about ICE. Three written messages quoted or referenced Matthew 22:39: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
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