Staff Writer
As the nine-year mark of the Pulse nightclub shooting approaches, the Orlando community has come together to honor the lives lost and reaffirm its ongoing commitment to remembrance, resilience, and healing.
On Saturday morning, more than 1,500 runners gathered in downtown Orlando for the annual Community Rainbow Run, a commemorative event that honors the 49 victims of the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. The event, which began at 7:30 a.m. at City Hall Plaza on South Orange Avenue, followed a route that passed the Pulse site before looping back downtown.
Now in its ninth year, the run has become a growing tradition, drawing residents, visitors, survivors, first responders, and families of those affected. Organizers say the event is designed not only to remember those who were killed, but also to celebrate the strength and unity of a city that has come together in the face of tragedy.
Proceeds from the Rainbow Run support the creation of the Orlando United Pulse Memorial, a permanent tribute scheduled to be completed in 2027. The memorial aims to honor the lives lost, the survivors, and the broader Orlando community impacted by the events of June 12, 2016.
While many view the run as a symbol of hope and remembrance, it is not without controversy. Some survivors have publicly expressed opposition to the annual event, with concerns that it commercializes or exploits the tragedy. A petition calling for the cancellation of the Rainbow Run has circulated for a second consecutive year, reigniting conversations about how best to honor those impacted.
As the community prepares to mark the ninth anniversary of the Pulse tragedy, discussions continue over how to balance public remembrance with personal healing. The ongoing development of the permanent memorial and annual events like the Rainbow Run reflect the complexities of grief, resilience, and collective memory in the years following one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
Comments