Orlando will honor the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre with a “Day of Love and Kindness.”
On Monday, the city announced plans to honor the 49 Pulse victims with a series of poignant events June 12 in Orlando. Memorial ceremonies will be held at the site of the former nightclub as well as Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, while artwork collected from memorial sites in the days following the tragedy will be displayed at the Orange County Regional History Center.
Elected officials elaborated on the “Day of Love and Kindness” in an emotional video uploaded to the event’s website. “Our community will never forget the tragedy of Pulse or the grief of those who lost loved ones,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in the clip, which can be viewed below. “From heartbroken family and friends to survivors putting shattered lives back together, our entire community stands with you.”
Teresa Jacobs, who is the mayor of Florida’s Orange County, echoed those sentiments. “Through a day of love and kindness dedicated to the legacy of those who perished,” she said, “we will continue to cherish their memories.” Meanwhile, Dyer, Jacobs and other city officials are encouraging people, in Orlando and elsewhere, to perform “acts of kindness” June 12 in an effort to spread “the unity that followed the tragedy” last year, according to the site.
“We don’t want to focus on an act of terror, we want to focus on how we all came together,” Commissioner Patty Sheehan told The Orlando Sentinel. “That’s really what made it bearable for these families … the love and support from this community.”
Head here to read more about Orlando’s “Day of Love and Kindness.”
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