The Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center hosted a candlelight vigil Thursday to honor lives tragically lost in South Carolina.
About 70 people attended the South Carolina Candlelight Vigil the Texas Tech University
Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center (CCAAC) hosted Thursday in honor of the lives lost in the Charleston, South Carolina,
shooting. They also were invited to write messages of support that will later be sent
to Charleston community members.
“The vigil was truly a special event, and we were happy to have the community come
together to support the families in Charleston and remember the nine lives that were
lost,” said Ricky Sherfield, section coordinator at the CCAAC. “Collectively, we are
honored to play a part in putting this together, and we plan to regroup and strategize
what else we can do. Several individuals at the vigil left special messages for the
families, and our goal is to send those notes to the city so they know we support
them and let them know they will continue to be in our thoughts.”
The vigil began with soft music playing in the background and a short welcome. Representatives
of Texas Tech and the Lubbock community spoke, including Kim Burdine, a staff psychologist
at the Student Counseling Center and liaison to CCAAC; Chris Moore, project manager at Texas Tech; Margaret Randle,
a retired principal for Lubbock Independent School District; and Brandale Randolph,
East Lubbock project leader. Candles were lit around Memorial Circle and next to pictures
of each of the nine victims.
The vigil was hosted at Memorial Circle. Students, faculty, staff and the Lubbock
community were invited to attend.
The CCAAC is part of Texas Tech's Division of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Community Engagement.
