A Special — and Important — Vigil Was Held for the Orlando Shooting's 23 Puerto Rican Victims

In all this talk about the attack in Orlando, people have missed (sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally) the fact that the victims were more than just gay. They were people of color, and almost half of them were Puerto Rican. 

A vigil, attended by over 300 people, was held in Puerto Rico's capital of San Juan. The vigil was important not only because nearly half of the victims were Puerto Rican (23 of the 49), but also because they were natives of the Caribbean island. Many Puerto Rican natives move to Orlando, which has put fear and sadness into the hearts of Puerto Rican people, who feel they too may be unsafe in other parts of the country.

Cesar Miranda, the Justice Secretary of Puerto Rico, spoke about the incident:

“Faced with this loss, I have been forced to reflect on all the social problems that led to this massacre: intolerance about gender preferences , discrimination against Latin Americans in the United States and broad access to weapons in that country.”

He added:

“That is why we must reaffirm our commitment to these three fronts in Puerto Rico and unite with our diaspora and the American people to continue taking steps toward equity.”

In a piece by TIME, it was mentioned that "the shooting prompted Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla to declare Friday a day of mourning." Let us send our very best to Puerto Rico as they join us in mourning.