Although the sun set earlier in the evening and the weather grew colder, CSUN's Black Student Union (BSU) held a candlelighting ceremony for Marcellus Williams with ample chairs, candles and fliers on October 29 at Plaza Del Sol in the University Student Union (USU ), in which all students and employees on campus can participate.

The event featured four speakers: Black House Senior Coordinator Ryan Murphy, Project Rebound student Timmy Tyson, CSUN Muslim Chaplain Suhail Mulla, and Abraham Milton of University Counseling's Office of Student Affairs, who took the stage above Williams , a 55-year-old black man who was wrongly convicted in the 1998 death of Felicia Gayle, a white woman, despite conflicting testimony and a lack of concrete evidence.

Despite millions of petitions from across the country calling for his release, William was sentenced to death by the state of Missouri on September 24, 2024. The BSU leaflet said his trail, “steeped in racial prejudice, illustrates the serious flaws of a biased justice system.”

The CSUN Black House volunteered Tyson, a sociology student who had experience speaking about his life as a formerly incarcerated person in LA prisons and mosques

Tyson, who plans to earn his clinical license as a social worker after graduating in 2026, served 37 years in prison starting when he was 18. He shared his perspective on social justice and what it means both inside and outside of prison.

“I just can’t be at events like this, it’s too important,” Tyson said, gesturing toward the setup as students arrived. “This is just an extension of that experience of being part of the social change and social justice movement.”

As a Muslim, Tyson said he felt a connection with Williams as he reflected on how he explored the historical concept of mass incarceration.

“His last words were: 'All praise be to Allah in every situation.' While he was being murdered and preparing to be murdered, he still recognized the glory of God,” Tyson said. “And just that, you know, and giving God that glory made me feel a connection and a compassion and empathy and sympathy that I wouldn't have had without that. But it just made it closer, like it was a family. We see ourselves as a family.”

Throughout his time as a speaker, Tyson explained, he strives to educate others about politics and mass incarceration for those whose family members have not previously been incarcerated or affected, or who do not identify as political.

“We want to try to make them aware,” Tyson said. “It can happen, and it will continue to happen, if not to you, then to someone in your family. At some point in your life. Even though it may not have meaning to you now, it will have meaning at some point in your life.”

BSU President Hermoni Douglas, who helped organize the event, greeted participants as they entered the plaza.

“This event is very important,” Douglas said. “As president of the Black Student Union, I want to ensure that our Black student community understands what is happening in our country. Especially because some black students are not politically informed about what is happening, such as the execution or the bills that have been passed. The only way to prevent this is to speak out and vote at events like this.”

In her opening remarks, Douglas welcomed and recognized event coordinator Alexi Penrice as the main organizer of the ceremony.

Penrice had learned of Williams' death and suggested the idea of ​​a memorial for the BSU. It built on the group's previous advocacy efforts, including an Instagram post about Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was fatally shot by a police officer in her own home in Illinois in July.

“We should do it and raise awareness and then also show the kids on campus that they are being heard,” Penrice said. “That’s why we contacted the university’s advice center. So when something like this happens and affects the black community, people don't go out and do bad things, but have someone to talk to and learn how to protest peacefully.”

Penrice also listed Project Rebound and its resources and events on his own Instagram page, which encouraged students to vote.

“Voting definitely affects us in the long run, and a lot of people, a lot of kids, a lot of students are really not really familiar with voting because there are a lot of freshmen that aren't even registered to vote.” They hear about it but don't know what's behind it and think their opinion doesn't matter. But right now this election is very crucial, very crucial to our events. Just our problems in general.”

Students can find more information about CSUN Black Student Union events on BSU’s Instagram and contact information on the official MataSync website.