As the last rays of sun disappeared, the first candle was lit.
A crowd gathered, chattering as they picked up candles from a table.
Lara Alqasem stood in front of the table and waited, looking at her iPhone before she took a deep breath.
"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark," the 19-year-old UF political science sophomore recited, her voice cracking. "You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well."
And the crowd was silent.
The home Alqasem spoke of was Syria, a home ravaged by war. She recited the poem, written by Warsan Shire, as part of a vigil Monday evening on Turlington Plaza to recognize more than four million refugees who have fled Syria since the Arab Spring protests in 2011. About 40 UF students and Gainesville residents came to pay their respects and recognize the issues of the refugees’ plight.
"At the end of the day, we’re all humans," said Rana Al-Nahhas, a UF psychology and pre-occupational therapy junior and a member of the Arab Students’ Association. "We need to hold ourselves accountable."
She spoke of a late-night call from her aunt, saying her cousin in Syria had almost lost his life to a grazing bullet. In a voice trembling with emotion, Al-Nahhas, 20, condemned those who ignored the crisis as articles and videos circulated on social media.
"You guys aren’t just students," she said. "You can be a voice for someone."
Before the vigil, hosted by the UF Radical Student Alliance, the Arab Students’ Association held a meeting to inform students about the history of the Syrian crisis and other refugees from across the world.
A blue banner on the Turlington staircase read: "No hate! No fear! Refugees welcome here!"
For Justin Baba, the ASA internal vice president, the vigil was an important gesture to shed light on the crisis within the UF and Gainesville communities. The microbiology and cell science sophomore said he has family on his father’s side living on the rural side of Syria without electricity and running water, relying on mostly a handful of wells to survive.
"It took a little boy to wash up ashore just to get the media involved," Baba said, referring to a 3-year-old who was found dead on the Turkish coast.
Baba said he was grateful for the students who attended the vigil and the meeting.
"It provides hope and a sense of unity," the 19-year-old said.
David Hoffman, a UF history and physics sophomore, had seen the event on Facebook and wanted to learn about the crisis and pay his respects.
"We’re all essentially one mind gathering together," the 19-year-old said after the vigil.
With a moment of silence, the vigil came to a close just after 8 p.m.
As the crowd dispersed, the only thing that remained were a few candles — flickering and alone.
Editor's Note: This article is updated to reflect a correction. Information from Rana Al-Nahhas was originally incorrectly attributed to Judy Ballich.
Lara Alqasem, a member of the Radical Students Alliance and then-UF political science sophomore, speaks during a candlelight vigil in support of refugees in 2015. “You only leave home when home is the mouth of a shark,” she said. “No one puts their children on boats unless the boat is safer than the land.”
