PHOTOS: Orlando community honors Pulse victims 10 years later

(Photo by Bellanee Plaza)

ORLANDO | For the 10th anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, Del Ambiente hosted a community commemoration on June 11 rooted in the Afro-Puerto Rican Baquiné tradition, honoring the 49 victims, survivors and families.

The event was called PULSE 10: Baquiné for the Angels and was held at Spirit of Joy Church. The Baquiné is an ancestral practice that honors life amid loss through music and dance. It is a ritual that transforms the death of a person into a festive celebration honoring the person’s ascent to heaven and their new status as an angel.

“Ten years after the tragedy, we still need places where grief can be held with dignity and where memory is honored through our cultural roots,” said Nancy Rosado, Co-Founder of Del Ambiente. “The Baquiné allows us to reconnect with ancestral practices that celebrate life even amid loss. It is our duty as a community to carry that forward.”

The gathering centers survivors and families, offering a trauma-informed space of cultural remembrance, healing, and reflection. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords offered remarks to survivors and families in attendance.

“America needs all of us to speak out even when you have to fight to find the words. I’m also in a second fight, the fight to stop gun violence,” Giffords said.

For more information about the permanent memorial and city events in Orlando, visit PulseOrlando.org.

Watermark Out News attended PULSE 10: Baquiné for the Angels. View our photos below.

Photos by Bellanee Plaza.