A Pulse Remembrance ceremony June 12. (Photo by Kay Yingling)
June 12 marked 10 years since the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people and injured 53 others, in what was then the deadliest mass shooting in the country.
Leading up to June 12 there was a series of events that were held by organizations and by the City of Orlando. There were public remembrances, culture rooted healing spaces, art, faith gatherings and community programs.
To honor the 49 angels, the events were meant to reflect on the past decade through community connection. Just days before the 10-year mark a public remembrance display was placed Outside City Hall in downtown Orlando; the prayer ribbons memorial exhibition looks to honor the memory of those lost as viewers reflect on love and grief in solidarity.
More than 90% of the victims were Hispanic or Latino and on the night of the shooting, as Pulse was hosting Latin night. This year organizations, such as Del Ambiente, held cultural events for the community. There was a 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.
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a gun violence prevention advocate, 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.
On the morning of June 12, the Mexican consulate in Orlando held a bilingual ceremony to honor the victims. It was the first event of the day and included a bell-ringing ceremony as community members read each of the 49 names. Four victims were Mexican, and shortly after the shooting, the consulate helped families with the logistics of flying loved ones back to their home country.
On the night of June 12 the First United Methodist Church of Orlando held a Pulse remembrance ceremony. Survivors, families and members of the community gathered to honor the lives lost and those forever impacted by the tragedy. Early in the evening attendees took part in 49 seconds of silence.
The ceremony included the reading of the 49 names, a ringing of the bells, a candlelight ceremony and musical and cultural performances.
“There’s no perfect recovery from a tragedy of this magnitude,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. “There have been challenges… But what I can promise as we look ahead to the next decade and beyond, is that our community will continue to offer love and hope to the families and survivors and all who are impacted by this tragedy.”
The church dimmed its lights and lit candles as attendees remembered the 49 angels. Their names were read aloud, some by loved ones in a video. One young boy read the name of his uncle, 21-year-old Cory James Connell, who he was named after. He said his uncle, who he never got the chance to meet, is the person who inspires him the most.
As the ceremony ended, attendees saw a rainbow in the sky.
Tampa Bay also reflected on the 10-year mark. The City of St. Petersburg proclaimed June 12 as Pulse Remembrance Day during a City Council meeting June 11.
A proclamation was read by City Council Vice Chair Richie Floyd reflecting on the 10-year mark. He said the tragedy “shows the exact reason why it’s so important that we stand up for everyone in our community.”
City of Orlando Community Engagement Manager Luis Martinez accepted the proclamation on behalf of Dyer.
On June 12, Project Pride also hosted a remembrance event in Sarasota and LGBTQ+ advocates gathered at the city’s former Progressive Pride street mural.
The ceremony was organized by St Pete Pride, Justice Over Everything, the Contigo Fund and the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida in Pinellas County.
Attendees wrote messages of remembrance and more in chalk. They included “Love will always win” and “Somos Orlando,” translated to “We are Orlando” in English.
In the 10 years that have passed since Pulse there have been discussions on how to honor the victims through action. The Human Rights Campaign, Equality Florida and GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group founded by Giffords, convened a panel on June 13 and focused on reflecting on the progress the LGBTQ+ and gun safety movements have forged since Pulse.
The panel was moderated by Brandon Wolf, a Pulse survivor and chief spokesperson for Equality Florida. On the panel was Emma Brown, executive director at GIFFORDS, Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, Stratton Pollitzer, executive director of Equality Florida and State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith.
Smith spoke about having resources available for the survivors and the family members of Pulse. He said he is hopeful that the memorial will honor the lives that were taken and will provide peace to the families and survivors, but he did note that there are opportunities for some accountability.
The memorial was delayed after years of uncertainty and the founding and dissolution of the onePULSE Foundation, which was started in late 2016 by Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma. For seven years onePULSE fundraised for a memorial and museum, scholarships and educational programs. In its lifetime, onePULSE raised just over $21 million.
“The idea has been presented to me of an independent commission that would look into these failures and I’m open to pursuing a proposal like that… but I think the questions we have to ask as a community… are what is the most viable path to securing some measure of accountability?” Smith said.
The nightclub was demolished earlier this year and the City of Orlando has moved forward with its memorial design. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026 and completion is anticipated in late 2027.
For more information about the permanent Pulse memorial, visit PulseOrlando.org.
Sign up for the Watermark Out News eNewsletter and follow us for more:
BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
