The Brookline Citizens for Participation in Political Action (Brookline PAX) sponsored a vigil at the high school on Nov. 15 to sponsor human rights, in light of the recent election and an unaccepting sentiment that some believe is spreading across the nation.

During the vigil numerous religious leaders, political activists and community members spoke, sharing their emotions regarding the current national climate, their support for everyone being treated unjustly, and detailing the changes they wished to see.  

The vigil closed with a short performance from Camerata Choir.  

According to PAX co-chair Frank Farlow, Brookline PAX focuses on making local changes to ensure that Brookline is politically liberal.

“We pay primary attention to . . . making the laws of Brookline as liberal as possible and keeping the composition of Town Meeting as progressive as we can by electing liberals if we can, so that laws of Brookline are liberal,” Farlow said.

The vigil featured numerous speakers, all of whom spread messages of peace and encouraged the audience members to take action in whatever ways possible.

Hajar Delshad, a Brookline community member who spoke at the vigil, said that she hopes people start to rally against their dissatisfactions.

“I hope that people begin to heal and move forward and start to organize around positive action instead of complaining. We do have the right to complain for a few days, but then we have to reorganize. This whole election is a call to action,” Delshad said.

Delshad, who practices the Muslim religion, said that it was important to her that the Muslim community was represented at the vigil because it is a group that faces extensive of challenges in the United States today.

“I saw the invitation for community to attend and I noted that none of the speakers were of the Muslim faith and much of the fight that we’re fighting in America right now is against Islamophobia,” Delshad said.

PAX co-chair Marty Rosenthal agreed with the sentiment of action against hatred and organizing the community.

“These things are in this country and we have to deal with it,” Rosenthal said. “We have to get together and work in groups like PAX.”