ORLANDO, Fla. — Dozens of community members and city leaders gathered in the United Methodist Church sanctuary Friday to honor the 49 people who perished at Pulse nightclub on the anniversary of their deaths.
Attendees lit candles and sat in somber silence as the names of the deceased were read aloud over a video montage.
“We got to know your loved ones through your stories and your grief,” said Patty Sheehan, Orlando District 4 Commissioner, who spoke at the event. “We will never forget them. The community came together in a beautiful way after a horrible nightmare.”
The 90-minute ceremony featured several speakers, including politicians, religious leaders, and relatives of the deceased.
Myreanna Bebe spoke about her brother Jason Josaphat, who was killed inside the club on June 12th 2016. Bebe’s birthday is July 13th.
“Ten years later, I stand here as a grieving sister, but I also stand here a woman transformed by love, a woman transformed by faith, and a woman transferred by loss, a woman that is still becoming,” said Bebe.
Many of the attendees praised the ceremony for its inclusivity. Ivan Quiquia attended this ceremony for the first time. “It’s just a great feeling that … as a community, we come together and remember, and each of the name were mentioned,” he said.
Brandon Wolf, Senior Director for Equality Florida, was inside Pulse the night of the shooting. This was the first Pulse-related memorial or remembrance ceremony he attended this year.
“Everybody in that room demonstrates what’s possible when you choose love over hate,” Wolf said. “It just felt so good to be at home, to be in community with everyone, to be remembering, reflecting and now I’m taking the charge that I have to go honor my best friends, honor the 49 who were stolen from us.”
You can see the remembrance ceremony in full below.
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