Editor’s note: This story discusses suicide. Reader discretion is advised.
Members of the Black UA community held a vigil at Denny Chimes on Sunday evening in memory of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a 21-year-old Black student at Delta State University, who was found dead hanging from a tree Sept. 15.
Attendees shared testimonies about “racially motivated violence,” offered prayers and brought posters in support. Members of the Afro American Gospel Choir also performed a cover of “Walk in the Light” during the vigil.
Reed’s family has launched an independent investigation into his death. However, the Mississippi state medical examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide, the Cleveland Police Department said in a press release.
Delta State University President Dan Ennis and the university’s police chief Michael Peeler said there was no evidence of foul play in the incident in a press conference held Wednesday. Peeler said the death was an “isolated incident” and that there is no active threat to students or faculty.
Alyssa Dobbs-Langford, a sophomore majoring in theatre, said that “whether it’s a conversation around racial violence or it’s a conversation around Black men’s mental health,” someone found dead on a college campus “is still a point of concern.”
Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s “Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative” will pay for a second independent autopsy of Reed’s body.
“I feel like with the political climate going on right now, it’s really going to start ramping up, and we kind of need to start bringing awareness to what’s going on in our community,” said Mia Joni, a senior majoring in marketing and social work.
She said even though the death was ruled a suicide, there should be further investigation.
“I feel like in the historical context of lynching, especially in places like Mississippi, it should still be looked into,” Joni said.
Maia McKinney, a sophomore majoring in creative media who made posters for the vigil, said she wants to humanize Reed and that he was “someone’s son, someone’s grandson, someone’s nephew.”
“People tend to forget the humanity behind the person,” she said. “I feel like the only way to get people to care is to relate the person to themselves.”
Braylon Heavens, a junior majoring in computer science, said now that he’s an adult, he feels it’s important to “take steps to support the Black community” and ensure that “equality is seen throughout campus” by being a leader instead of just a follower.
Other students voiced similar concerns.
Drake Bell, a sophomore majoring in cybersecurity, said that Reed’s death was “overshadowed” by Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist who was assassinated at Utah State University on Sept. 10.
“They’re in awe of a person who was racist,” he said. Bell added that he first asked about holding a vigil on Fizz, an anonymous social media app.
Lauren Pollard, a freshman majoring in English and political science, said she felt Black victims of violence haven’t received enough media coverage in comparison to their white counterparts.
Pollard said that having people come out in support of something that wasn’t shown a lot in the media was a good opportunity to “all come together and really just talk about the situation and our nation.”
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