Day of Remembrance
Today marks the beginning of our Day of Remembrance events, signifying three years since the shooting on April 30, 2019, that took the lives of Reed Parlier and Riley Howell, injured Rami, Sean, Emily and Drew, traumatized everyone in Professor Adam Johnson's class in Kennedy 236, and left Niner Nation heartbroken. However, on our worst day, we saw the very best in each other and our Charlotte community. We are All Niners, and we are #CharlotteStrong.
In Memoriam
We remember and celebrate the lives of Reed Parlier and Riley Howell.
April 29 Schedule of Events
- 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Employee Assistance Program Discussion
- 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. - April 30 Message Boards
- 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Botanical Gardens Remembrance Stones
- 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. - 4.9 Remembrance Day Challenge
- 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Niner Community Art Mural
- 11 a.m. - noon - Employee Assistance Program Discussion
- 12:15 p.m. - Memorial Sculpture Dedication
- 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Employee Assistance Program Discussion
- 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Restorative Yoga and Mindfulness
- 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Employee Assistance Program Discussion
- 5:40 p.m. - Wreath Laying Ceremony
April 30 Schedule of Events
-
5:40 p.m. - Wreath Removal
April 30 Memorial Sculpture
Soon after the events of April 30, 2019, the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens invited students, faculty, staff and campus visitors to record their thoughts and feelings by writing or drawing on small rocks. Over the span of a several days, hundreds of people contributed, placing their rocks along the garden’s paths, streams and trails.
The Botanical Gardens’ staff quickly recognized the need to translate this ephemeral art installation into a more permanent and monumental public artwork. Associate Professors of Art Marek Ranis and Thomas Schmidt volunteered to design and help in fundraising and production of the remembrance stone sculpture for the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. Ranis and Schmidt then recruited dozens of students from the Department of Art & Art History as well as the Honors College who carefully engraved the original messages onto large stones. The final sculpture, a steel column containing the many stones, commemorates the community’s solidarity and fellowship in the face of this tragedy. This memorial can be found in the Asian Garden area of the UNC Botanical Gardens and is a permanent installation.
Memorial Digital Exhibit
-
The April 30 Memorial digital exhibit includes photographs, videos, letters, oral histories and other remembrances. The items featured on this site highlight the ways in which UNC Charlotte, the surrounding community and the nation grieved together in the days, weeks and months following the shooting on campus. They showcase the resilience of our campus community and the ways in which we will always remember those who were lost and forever changed that day.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What would you like to see included in this daily email? Complete this form with your feedback. We want to hear from you!