On September 22, a candlelight vigil was held in memory of Iryna Zarutska, who was killed in Charlotte last month. People gathered at the East/West Boulevard station in the South End neighborhood to mark thirty days since Iryna’s death.
Many came to honor the 23-year-old Ukrainian woman, holding candles in their hands. Among those present were Ukrainians, Americans, teenagers, and adults. One man held a large sign reading “Love Above All.”
Addul Ali, co-founder of TUC Media and a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives last year, opened the event with the words: “It is so good that we have gathered here not as Black, white, or anyone else, but as Americans who care about our country and want to honor the life of such a beautiful young girl who died so senselessly here in our city.”
Several prayers were offered by different pastors: Pastor Rick Whittier from Wilmington, North Carolina; Father Sebrenko Vidakovic; and Pastor Vasyl Rudnytsky of the New Hope Church in Matthews, North Carolina. Pastor Rudnytsky said: “What a tragedy. What a sad night this is. My heartfelt condolences to everyone who knew and cherished Iryna Zarutska, to her family, and to all who were grieved by her death.”
He also added: “My prayer and my desire are that we hold on to goodness, that we hold on to truth, that we believe in our Lord and have this living hope which will surely lead us to eternal life.”
In the background, a train slowly passed by from time to time, stopping at the same station where photos of Iryna, flowers, and candles had been placed.
Kyle Kirby, one of the event’s speakers and a Republican Party candidate for the House of Representatives in 2020, announced that he is urging the Charlotte City Council and the Charlotte Transit Authority to rename the station in Iryna’s honor.
The vigil concluded with two minutes of silence — the very two minutes, according to the organizers, that the young woman sat waiting for someone to help her — followed by chants of her name.
The next commemoration will take place on the sixtieth day since the murder.
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