On Sunday June 12, 2016, my city shook. I woke up very early, as I do every Sunday for work, to find out about a tragic event that took place hours earlier. This horrific tragedy now holds the title of the "worst mass-shooting in U.S. history".
Have you ever had the feeling of a thousand pounds weighing down your heart? Like you feel sick to your stomach? That you're too scared to leave your home? Well, I have been harboring those feelings ever since I woke up on Sunday morning. Since then, it has only gotten worse.
Sadly, as a nation, we are constantly hearing about tragic events in different parts of the country. We feel sad, distraught, confused and ache for those who call that place home, for those effected and for humanity. We talk about the issues that come from such terrible events for a period of time and then carry on with our lives. Not much changing. I feel like when it's not your home it's easier to move past what happened. You never expect it to be your home because well, your home is where you feel safest. You couldn't possibly wrap your head around someone wanting to take your feeling of safety away from you. However, someone took mine away from me.
I have called Orlando home for my nineteen years. This city has shaped me into who I am and who I want to be. I know these streets and these buildings like the back of my hand. It feels so surreal that something of this magnitude happened in my home. But let me tell you this, they messed with the wrong city.
As many have already seen, Orlando is full of love. And you want to know something? Love will always win. With as much hate as we've been shown, we have responded with a thousand times more love. In just one day, the GoFundMe for the victims of Pulse reached over 1 million dollars. Yes, you read that right. One. Million. Dollars. That number has since exceeded two million and is still climbing. Did you know we broke the blood banks? Well it's true. People fled to every blood bank eager to donate to the point where the wait times were 5-7 hours and people still waited. We filled each to capacity to where there wasn't enough supplies to accommodate all of the hopeful donors. Those who could not donate still helped with donations of water and food across the city. Not to mention the worldwide support pouring in. From multiple landmarks being lit up in rainbow colors, dedicated songs and words from celebrities and artists, to gatherings for moments of silence across the world, I have never felt so much love.
Orlando will always be my home. I will always be proud to be from Orlando. However, Orlando is not to be home to the worst mass-shooting. Orlando is home of the Orlando Magic, Orlando City Soccer, the Solar Bears, Orlando Pride, the University of Central Florida, Knight-Thon (which raised over a million dollars for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals), Disney World, Universal Studios, etc. Thousands of people every year choose to travel to Orlando for many of these things. It's vibrant, strong, and loving LGBTQ+ community is also such a beautiful part of Orlando. To be home to the most magical place on Earth, one of the top pediatric hospitals in the nation, and to such wonderful memories people make here is so much more powerful than the hatred that made its way into my city. So as it stands, Orlando: my home, will not be known for such hate. It will be known for its amazing population and attractions. It is home to my closest friends, my family, experiences that have shaped me into who I am, and more importantly, my heart and soul. A part of me will always be here in Orlando and that will never die.
While I mourn for my city, I am comforted in knowing I am not alone. With the endless love being poured out across the globe, I am hopeful. I walked into my Starbucks today to see the words "Orlando Strong" followed by a rainbow heart and a pulse. While my community is filled with such diversity, we all have come together under one heart, one love, one pulse, to show comfort and compassion to one another. That my friends is what will conquer all hate.
As a young adult, I struggle to wrap my head around these types of things; to make sense of it all. What I have come to peace with is that you can't really make sense of it. Instead you must use it to fuel your passion for change. We must take this and not let it instill fear in ourselves. We must not be afraid to live our lives as those who fell victim would want us to live passionately. Let love in. Show love to everyone around you and never take anyone or anything for granted. While we could let this act of terrorism tear us down, we won't. We will stand up in the face of hatred and fear and show love, happiness, and courage.
The "Sunshine State" will indeed, shine again; and when we do, we will shine brighter than ever before.
One Heart. One Pulse. We are Orlando Strong.
