Vigil held to pray for Black lives lost

HOUGH — A prayer vigil for Black lives was held on the front steps of Compass Church on Aug. 22. The gathering, attended by a few dozen who stood on the steps and into the street, was convened by local Vancouver faith leaders for collective grief, processing Black trauma, prayer and storytelling. It was followed by a libations ceremony for George Floyd, who died in the custody of Minneapolis, Minn., police, and Breonna Taylor, who was shot by Louisville, Ky., police. The gathering was organized by the Rev. Lenny Duncan, of the Jubilee Collective. “It was a interfaith prayer service to grieve the loss of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor followed by a traditional Libations ceremony, used to mark important moments in a community’s story throughout the African Diaspora,” he said. Find out more about the Jubilee Collective at jubileecollectivevancouver.org.