INDIANAPOLIS — A local nonprofit organization is hosting a candlelight vigil on Friday in downtown Indianapolis to commemorate President Abraham Lincoln's funeral stop 156 years ago.
Apr. 30, 1865 was one of 14 consecutively mournful days in America. But April 30 was especially big in Indianapolis when thousands came to pay their respects to President Lincoln as his funeral train made its final Hoosier stop.
It's a day that the local nonprofit "The Lincoln Special" believes should be remembered — especially amid racial tensions across the United States.
“History has an echo—our task is to make it heard,” Chris Allen, filmmaker and the executive director of The Lincoln Special, stated.
The Lincoln Special was designed to bring renewed interest to Lincoln’s legacy through multimedia.
Allen and The Lincoln Project state that a candlelight vigil is to "highlight lessons of the past that can be applied today."
Lincoln, Allen says, ultimately lost his life because of his position on slavery. He was assassinated by "Southern sympathizer" John Wilkes Booth on Apr.15, 1865.
“The 500-year stain of racism in this country needs to be talked about,” Allen said. “By commemorating the 156th anniversary of Lincoln’s final visit to Indiana, we start those conversations here on a local level, where they need to take place.”
Allen will host the vigil outside the Indiana Statehouse from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 30, and an additional candlelight vigil will be held in downtown Lafayette from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, at the Amtrak Train Depot.
Those interested in learning more about the group and the vigil can do so at www.tearsandiron.com.
