Families Gather for Post-Election Vigil – Depot Plaza, Nov. 13, 5pm

In the wake of the Nov. 8 presidential election, communities around the country have sought to find ways to digest and react to the results. For Diana Williams and her family, that way was to invite friends and neighbors to gather in the Depot Plaza on the evening of Nov. 9 for a post-election vigil, defined as “the act of keeping awake at times when sleep is customary.” 

A few dozen people joined them to light a candle, write a word or a thought, and be together. 

Now they’re doing it all over again in the Depot Plaza on Sunday, Nov. 13 (5-7pm). “Let’s be together again in the midst of all our intense emotions over the election results,” Williams says. “Bring the children, light a candle, make a wish, pray a prayer. We have paper and markers so you offer some words or a drawing into the circle.”

At the conclusion of the Nov. 9th event, Williams had a stack of those words written by adults and children that came from that evening, including messages like “A deep breath and a wide-angled view,” “Keep your voices strong throughout the next four years,” and “Love to all must conquer hate.” She expects more to come Sunday.  

“They are a beautiful testimony to our Mill Valley Community: in the face of our collective grief, the words are of hope and love,” she says.