Multicultural center to hold Kenya vigil Thursday evening

The Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence will hold a vigil Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. in the LLC Performance Hall to honor the 147 Kenyan students massacred by the Al-Shabaab terrorist group at Garissa University College April 2.

The vigil will be hosted by the Mills International Center halfway through their event The Meet REMIXED. The vigil offers the UO community an opportunnity to share their respect to those affected by the violence.

“It is important to inform ourselves on what is going on around the world; we live in a global village,” said multicultural center Director Jane Irungu, who is originally from Kenya. Her nonprofit created a GoFundMe crowdfunding site to support the siblings of the victims.

The effort to aid survivors and draw attention to the massacre also is using the Twitter hashtag #147NotJustANumber.

On their official Facebook page the UO center calls on students and the UO community “to honor 147 students killed April 2 and all others around the world who are facing violence.” Event sponsors include the Division of Student Life and Cinema Pacific.

The Meet REMIXED occurs select Thursdays during spring term in the Living Learning Center performance hall from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. At the events, all students are encouraged to “Meet new people. Eat good food. Talk about life.”

The event is free and open to all. Light food is served.

For more information about the vigil or to donate, contact Irungu at 541-346-4464. For more information about The Meet REMIXED, contact Leigh Scheffey at 720-254-5909.