A year ago today, three members of the Wolfpack were executed by their neighbor. A hate crime disguised as a parking dispute abruptly ended the bright futures of Deah, Yusor and Razan.

It’s hard to think that the acts of a single man were the cause for the hardship that these families and our community faced. While we weren’t fortunate enough to know Deah, Yusor and Razan, we’ve learned through the people we’ve talked to how remarkable each of them were. In the Quran there’s a line, “Truly, with every hardship comes ease.” And if we’ve learned anything from the stories we’ve heard, it’s that truly amazing things have come out of the death of Our Three Winners. 

Their death has brought about a conversation. Their legacy has revolutionized the modern Muslim American narrative and has shown the world the necessity of celebrating one another’s differences.

Moving forward is essential, but forgetting is not. While we hope our community will continue to heal in the coming years, we also hope the memories of Deah, Yusor and Razan will live on, inspiring both those who did and did not know them. 

A year ago today, a man with a gun proved that the world is filled with terrible people who do terrible things. We can’t avoid being contaminated by the evils of the world … it’s a matter of what attitude we take toward them. In our everyday lives, we aspire to adopt the attitudes of Deah, Yusor and Razan. Rather than sitting in sadness, we choose to follow the meanings of their names — to live in Deah’s light, with Yusor’s easiness and Razan’s direction.