Members of the Bloomington-Normal community gathered Tuesday evening at the McLean County Museum of History to pay their respects to people affected by violence happening across the globe.
The vigil, entitled “When Words Fail Us,” was spearheaded by Bloomington-Normal Not In Our Town (NIOT), the B-N group formed in 1995 to fight bigotry and hate. The NIOT website states, “talking early about possible issues helps create common ground and also builds a community climate that hateful activity is not to be tolerated.”
The vigil was held while the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, beginning Oct. 7 when the militant group killed 1,200 Israelis. As of Tuesday, more than 11,300 Palestinians in Gaza have died, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza; 196 Palestinians in the West Bank have died since the war began, Palestinian officials say.
More than 50 people attended the Twin City vigil to pay their respects to those victims and others — yet very few words were spoken.
That was intentional.
Mollie Ward, a member of NIOT and the Bloomington City Council, said spoken words can sometimes cause harm.
“We felt like words aren’t always the only way of communicating, that sometimes spoken words can be weaponized. Sometimes spoken words can be empty. And we chose to not use spoken words in this vigil that we had, as a way of perhaps creating an opportunity for people to listen to one another,” said Ward.
People did that via paper and pencil.
When entering the museum, those attending were given a small piece of paper and a pencil to write down their feelings and experiences related to worldwide violence. They were welcome to then place the papers in a basket in the center of the room surrounded by electric candles. Afterwards, they would light one of the candles, and return to the outskirts of the room to silently observe and listen to the reflective, live performance of piano and violin.
Later, Ward passed the notes out for individuals to read and take home. Hopefully, the nature of the event helped create some inner peace, she said.
“I think we gain a greater understanding of one another as human beings," said Ward. "I think that we come to recognize that each of us has unique feelings and experiences. And yet, we share some things in common. And when we can create a space around us that is more peaceful, it generates more peace.”
Ward held a sign at the end of the vigil, sending visitors on their way.
“Go in Peace.”
