Renee Nicole Good tragically passed away Jan. 7 after being shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (ICE). Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR) used the link to memorialize the death of not only Renee Nicole Good but also others killed by ICE. This space allowed students to express and share their emotions with others as well as become more aware of what’s going on in the community.
Social studies teacher and SOAR Advisor Charles Mahaffey said he heard about Renee Nicole Good’s death on the news and felt anxious not only for the community but also for his friends who once participated in legal observations.
“I heard about the murder of Renee Good’s through the breaking news headline on my school’s work computer, and then it was confirmed a couple of hours later that she had died,” Mahaffey said. “I was stressed and nervous. I have many people I know who have participated in doing legal observation, and I was just immediately thinking about all of them.”
Senior Mariya Tefera said ICE shootings have severely scared and damaged many people. According to her, the recent events in Minneapolis are devastating, and regardless of documentation, sparking a feeling of danger throughout immigrant communities in the U.S.
“(The loss of Renee Good) affected people a lot, especially with fear,” Tefera said. “It ignited this insane fear, and a lot of people, especially our immigrant community, whether you’re documented or not, because a lot of this is just racial profiling. There’s a different type of fear that was ignited, which is sad because this is scary, so it affected us in a lot of ways.”
According to sophomore Anjali Narais, navigating tough times calls attention to the significance of fostering connections and supportive discussion. She said living in a place with hate and violence leads to a lot of mental struggles, especially in the case of children of immigrants.
“In events like (the one) we’re at right now, (it’s crucial for people)) to have conversations and share their emotions and feelings around what’s happening,” Narais said. “Mental health support is vital as well because it can be a hard time for children of immigrants and anyone living in an area with such violence in general.”
Mahaffey said taking time to reflect and grieve is necessary during these moments of pain. According to him, the memorial provided a space for connection and a way to put that into practice.
“It’s important for us to slow down, stop and have moments of remembrance, grief and coming together,” Mahaffey said. “Grief is part of being a human; we’re going to always continue to lose people close to us. Renee being murdered is different than that, but a lot of the same principles apply. It’s important to identify ways that we can have rituals and ceremonies to honor her and connect with one another.”
Tefera said SOAR’s memorial was organized to create a safe space for students and staff to express their emotions about ICE killings. According to her, the room’s environment allowed people to reflect on their goals for their communities and support one another.
“We’re trying to have a space where students or staff in the building could have the time to talk through their feelings,” Tefera said. “We had post-it boards up where you can write down your feelings. We had the kindness compass up there, so you could say where you’re at on that and we had what hopes you have for our community. (The event was) meant to be a space for everyone to talk about it, especially because there’s been (a lot) going on.”
Narais said the gathering in the link served multiple purposes, including expressing emotions and spreading awareness. She said SOAR’s overall goal with this was to honor all those who were victims of ICE and take a step in the direction of putting an end to ICE’s violent actions.
“The significance of this memorial is to honor not only Renee Good, but also every life lost in the hands of ICE,” Narais said. “We’re trying to spread both resource awareness, and we’re trying to help stop stuff like this from happening in the future as well.”
According to Mahaffey, it’s easy to criticize and quarrel with each other during this tragedy. He said we must remember to collaborate, take care of the community as a whole, and push through this difficult time.
“It’s very easy in times of crisis to sit and have arguments about small differences,” Mahaffey said. “Before ICE descended on cities in the last month, people had a lot of different opinions on whether what ICE was doing was okay. (For example), maybe they needed better training, maybe they needed better legal parameters, but moments like this can actually bring our community closer and remind us that those things don’t matter as much as we think they do, and it’s most important for us to take care of our community and not argue about the details.”
