Vigil for Boston Marathon Bombing Victims Set

A vigil to remember the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings is meant to promote a peaceful response to acts of violence.

The student group Interfaith In Action is helping to organize the vigil, set for 8 PM Monday evening at the Alma Mater statue site, at the corner of Green and Wright Streets on the University of Illinois Urbana campus.

The vigil was planned before it was learned that the suspects linked to the bombings were Muslims. But Interfaith In Action spokesperson Ellie Brick said that the potential for backlash was already on the minds of Muslims on campus.

“A lot of Muslim-American students that I spoke with prior to when it first happened, kind of had the sentiment of, please don’t let it be Muslim,” said Brick. “So, that’s definitely something that’s going to affect the weight of the event. “

Besides Interfaith In Action, the U of I’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association also sponsoring the vigil. Brick said that group is acting in memory of Lu Lingzi, a Chinese graduate student who was one of the three people killed in the bombings.