Black Lives Matter - a silent vigil

Nancy Quigley writes: In these times of noisy and chaotic protests about policing and the loss of Black lives, I attended a vigil at Peace UCC last week, in Webster Groves, and found it to be a good alternative to the protests, a way to be present and “say their names” without worrying about violence or virus.  

Peace has been holding a Friday evening vigil for a couple of months.  The vigil, beginning at 6 p.m., is a half hour of silence opening with eight minutes and forty six seconds of kneeling or sitting or lying on the ground, in memory of George Floyd.  For the remainder of the half hour, also in silence, participants stand along the sidewalk in front of the church. Last week we held pictures of people who were killed by the police as their names were read out loud one by one.

Cars and buses drove by, many people honking or giving a thumbs up sign. Each participant wore a mask and we stood six feet apart. It was a moving experience and for me, a good way to participate in this important moment and movement.