Monday night was a somber evening for many, as it marked the anniversary of the racially motivated hate crime at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. On Latin night at a popular LGBT club 49 individuals were killed and 58 more were injured in the largest mass shooting by one person in the United States to date.
As the sun set on the Statehouse on June 12, 2017, the colors of the rainbow flag gradually lit up six of the massive columns that frame the entrance of the building. A large rainbow flag rested on the steps. Social justice advocates, along with social and political leaders gathered with members of the community to remember the lives of the victims at Pulse.
A recurring theme of the gathering was a message of unity and inclusivity. Opening speaker Tiffany Adams, a pastor from Kingdom Outreach church, emphasized this idea during her invocation.
“When we mourn, we mourn together. When we cry, we cry together. Just look around you, at the people who have come together today. We come together as one. What he meant to do was divide and destroy, but what he ended up doing was showing us how much we need each other,” Adams said.
Mayor Steve Benjamin opened the vigil as he looked back to South Carolina’s rich history and its mission to be a safe haven and place of inclusivity for people of all backgrounds.
“We are indeed one community. We are indeed one Columbia, one great, democratic nation that celebrates each and every one of us,” Benjamin said.
In addition to a night dedicated to remembrance, the purpose of the event was two-fold. Organizer of the vigil was Jennifer Tague, the director of operations for South Carolina Equality. Tague emphasized that the title of the event, “Honor Them With Action,” was a reminder to community members to speak out if they were dissatisfied with the current political climate.
“Even though we are in the city of Columbia, and it is very liberal and very understanding, you get outside of the city of Columbia, and then it gets kind of scary for people, especially with our lgbt youth, who are in these rural schools who can’t voice who they are,” she said. “We need to educate our legislators. We need the Statehouse to protect the LGBTQ community. There is some education there, we do have allies in the Statehouse, which is great but we need to reach across the isle and talk to one another, keep those lines of communication open."
The night concluded with an impromptu hymn from Thomas Dixon, a local social justice advocate. Event organizers and attendees joined hands to sing an acapella version of the classic song “We Shall Overcome,” a hymn that became an unofficial rallying cry of the Civil Rights Movement.
Tiffany Adams best characterized the theme of the entire night during her opening remarks:
“Hatred has never, and will never overcome love.”