RESTON, Va. — Old and young, white and black, lifelong Virginians and residents with roots in West Africa gathered for a candlelight vigil Sunday night. Standing in a plaza at Lake Anne, they huddled close in the cold, lighting candles against the dark. And they prayed for those near and far affected by Ebola.
Reverend Anne Cooper, an Episcopal priest in Monrovia, Liberia, and a parishioner at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, in Reston, stood before the crowd and spoke.
“This disease,” she said, “has challenged our faith, drained our emotions and hampered our culture.” Cooper explained that in West Africa, people typically hug and kiss when they meet up. “Even if you don’t know someone. It’s just ingrained in us — the warmth, the fellowship. And now — we have to step back.”
Families with children attended the vigil. Veda Simpson, who is originally from Liberia but lives in Reston, talked about why she brought her daughter, Claire: “We’re all connected. So it’s an important lesson. Even though we’re here in the states, we’re still connected to West Africa.”
Claire, who cradled a candle during the vigil with her friend, Audrey O’Beirne, explained why she wanted to be at the vigil: “Because I love to bless all my cousins and all the people who are related to me in Africa.”
O’Beirne doesn’t have family in West Africa, but the lesson on how the world is interconnected wasn’t lost on her. And she was eager to do something that could help.
“I want to bless the people that have Ebola.”
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WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
