ORLANDO, Fla. – On the eve of the 10-year remembrance of the Pulse nightclub massacre, family members of victims and community members gathered Thursday night to honor the Hispanic heritage of many of the 49 people killed.
The event, held at Spirit of Joy Church in Orlando, featured “Baquiné Para Los Ángeles, Pulse 10,” a traditional Afro-Puerto Rican ceremony that organizers said was intended to bring comfort and healing ahead of Friday.
The ceremony included traditional music, dancing and cultural practices rooted in Puerto Rican and Caribbean traditions.
Nancy Rosado, one of the organizers, said the event was designed to connect families with a tradition that many may not have previously experienced in Central Florida.
“This is the first time they will be exposed to something that is theirs, but here,” Rosado said. “Here not being Puerto Rico. Here not meaning the Caribbean.”
Rosado explained that a baquiné is traditionally held following the death of a child and focuses on celebrating the innocence of the deceased rather than solely mourning the loss.
“Whenever a child died, it wasn’t mourned,” Rosado said. “Of course you feel the pain and all that, but it was celebrated because it was perceived as an innocent soul and was automatically going to heaven.”
Organizers said they hoped the ceremony would provide families with a sense of peace as they prepare for the emotions that often accompany the anniversary of the June 12, 2016, attack.
“We are hoping that this is a good intervention to kind of interrupt those feelings a little bit and move them to a better frame of mind so tomorrow is not as painful,” Rosado said.
Also speaking during the event was former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 that left six people dead.
“I’ve known the darkest of days. Days of pain and uncertain recovery,” Giffords told attendees.
Giffords spoke about her recovery journey and her continued advocacy for gun violence prevention.
“I put one foot in front of the other. I found one word and then I found another,” she said.
Calling the nation to action, Giffords said, “America needs all of us to speak out, even when you have to fight to find the words. I’m also in the second fight — the fight to stop gun violence.”
Organizers said they hope everyone who attended left feeling more prepared for Friday’s remembrance events and the emotions that come with marking a decade since the tragedy that changed Orlando forever.