The clock tower bell atop the Santos Manuel Student Union tolled 49 times, and doves, a symbol of peace, took to the blue sky on Tuesday afternoon as Cal State San Bernardino students, faculty and staff gathered in memory of the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando on June 12.
“We will not succumb to rage in this time of unimaginable grief and sorrow, we must lean on each other with shared resolve to emerge stronger,” said Brian Haynes, CSUSB vice president of Student Affairs, in front the assembled on the lawn of the John M. Pfau Library.
The vigil, attended by an estimated 250-300 people, was organized by the Pride Center at Cal State San Bernardino’s Santos Manuel Student Union and the LGBTQ Student Staff and Faculty Association..
The CSUSB event was one of hundreds held nationwide to support the LBGTQ+ community, the victims and families of the shooting and the city of Orlando in the days after a gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, before dying in a shootout with authorities.
For more information on the memorials, visit the #WeAreOrlando website.
Correction: A previous version erroneously said the event was co-organized by the Ally Student, Staff and Faculty Association. It has since been correct to say that it was co-organized by the LGBTQ Student Staff and Faculty Association.