Vigil for Palestine at UC Santa Barbara
Mourners Gather at Storke Lawn to Grieve for the Gaza Strip
On a quiet Wednesday evening at UC Santa Barbara, mourners gathered under Storke Tower to grieve the lives lost — and continuing to be lost — in the Gaza Strip. A mist shrouded the lawn as members of Students for Justice in Palestine carefully assembled a memorial of bouquets, candles, and framed pictures on the tower steps. One member stood silently holding a Palestinian flag high above her head, shoulders draped in traditional Palestinian scarf.
Attendees waited patiently with hushed voices, accepting small Palestinian flags and candles to hold, while others displayed homemade signs.
The reason for the vigil was simple: “This is a safe space for Palestinians to mourn. This is a safe space for all Indigenous peoples to mourn” were the first words from a student spokesperson. And thus began an evening of open poetry and prayer, interspersed with calls for justice and resistance — but mostly it was a time to remember, to lament, to weep.
Students and faculty shared words in voices that often broke. They held each other close with understanding. When a speaker spoke softly, the crowd moved closer in unison to hear her words, and she was affirmed with soft snaps and heads that nodded with closed eyes.
The night ended much as it began, quietly and reverently, as candles were added one by one to the memorial with solemn hands. For a long time after, no one seemed ready to walk away.
