Purple flowers, ribbons and rosary beads fluttered in the wind against the concrete of the Campus Center, where over 250 community members gathered to mourn the death of Emma MacDonald (nee Pasterczyk), who worked for the University of Massachusetts’ catering services.
The vigil, organized by the University Staff Association (USA) and other campus unions including the Professional Staff Union (PSU) and Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP), took place on April 29, just a week after Emma was allegedly killed by her husband, Jeffrey MacDonald, at Hotel UMass. Emma was a member of USA.
Sheila Gilmour, the president of USA, said the unions wanted to take time to grieve Emma amid the Founder’s Day festivities on campus.
“We were concerned about [going] to Founder’s Day and [having] a party without actually taking a minute to grieve Emma,” Gilmour said. “Instead of having that weird feeling just hanging over everybody’s heads, we thought ‘let’s just talk about it — we’ll say her name.’”
Kyle Chambers, the vice president of USA, said that the unions and allies worked together to create a space for the community to process, grieve and support each other.
“We’re all hurting. We’re all grieving, and there’s a lot of people who have feelings that didn’t know necessarily what to do with those feelings, because they were working and continuing on,” Chambers said. “That’s why we, as coworkers, took it upon ourselves to…coordinate something where people can be free to feel how they need to feel and start the process of healing.”
Just outside the vigil, workers from the Center for Women and Community table displayed letters spelling out Emma’s name for people to write messages on and offered flowers for community members to lay on the memorial.
As the vigil began, students, campus employees and UMass dining workers in chef’s whites gathered in a circle around the makeshift memorial. Some laid flowers, some leaned on their coworkers’ shoulders and some simply stood silently and watched.
After Gilmour opened the event by explaining that the event was held in honor of Emma , Hannah Bernard, the PSU at-large chapter board member, said that the unions as a collective had asked themselves how to support each other in this difficult moment.
Bernard said that in the weeks to come, UMass community members should learn how to educate, protect and work with each other in the face of violence at their workplace.
“Today, we bear witness to the worst expression of that violence, but also to a beautiful and vibrant life,” Bernard said. “We affirm that everyone here, and not here today, has a role to play in ending domestic violence and relationship abuse.”
Nick Chavez, from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1776 (AFSCME), read a message from the local AFSCME president, LeeAnn Robinson.
“Before we begin, we’re going to light a candle in the memory of Emma,” Chavez read. “This flame is a simple way to say what grief makes hard to say. You matter. You are loved. You are remembered.”
The rest of the hour passed in reflection and community as attendees trickled by in a slow stream, placing flowers by the memorial and spending a few moments in silence.
Emma’s family was also present at the vigil, including her daughter.
Chiruza Muhimuzi, who worked with Emma for two years, also spoke about her character and “because I want…people to know who Emma was, not just what happened to her.”
“Emma was one of the kindest and most hardworking people I [have] ever seen at UMass Catering,” Muhimuzi said. “She did not just do her job. She cared for people deeply. She made everyone feel seen, especially student workers.”
Muhimuzi also emphasized that Emma was a great listener and that she valued people’s abilities. He shared a memory involving Emma’s organization of a small birthday celebration for him, even gathering coworkers who had finished their shifts to celebrate and sing as a surprise.
“We need justice. We need to make sure [this] never happens to anyone else. Emma’s life matters deeply. Her memory will always live with us,” Muhimuzi said. “That was my Emma.”
Another worker, Rosa Kabiri, said that Emma’s celebration of each worker’s birthday through a cake that matched their personality showed the kind of person she was. Her cake had been full of roses.
Kabiri also pointed to her blue shirt with orange paisley patterns on it: a gift from Emma. “It was really family, you know? In catering, we are not colleagues. It is really, really, like family.”
Tributes poured in from many people, from those who had known Emma from brief interactions to those who had worked with her for years.
They spoke about how Emma embracing them through difficult times like the loss of a loved one, supporting them in getting raises and helping them get warm clothing in the winter. Workers even recalled how much she loved her two dachshunds, Tito and Jack. Many recalled Emma’s demeanor as one full of warmth and kindness.
All speakers emphasized the importance of seeking justice for Emma.
“Today is about Emma, but when we come back to work tomorrow, we need to talk about how we keep people safe in their workplaces,” Gilmour said. “We never imagined that this was going to happen, and we want to make sure we’re going to be working with management, having some conversations with them about what we do to keep everybody safe.”
The university will hold a community-wide vigil for Emma on Tuesday, May 5 at 3 p.m. at the Campus Center.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic partner violence, resources can be found below:
The Center for Women and Community (CWC) at UMass Amherst: umass.edu/student-life/women-center, 413-545-0800
Safe Passage (Northampton, MA): safepass.org, 413-586-5066
Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
Grace Chai can be reached at [email protected].
