A host of organizations have stepped up to help following the mass shooting on Sunday morning, in which a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 others at an influential gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Police fatally shot the suspect.
“We will not give in to fear or turn against each other,” President Obama said, as he publicly addressed the nation Sunday. “Instead, we will stand united as Americans.”
As officials piece together the facts and the LGBTQ community — along with the entire nation — mourns those lost, here’s how you can help.
History was made Sunday at the 70th annual Tony Awards when, for the first time ever, all four of the musical acting honors went to black performers: Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs and Renée Elise Goldsberry for “Hamilton,” and Cynthia Erivo for “The Color Purple.”
If Lin Manuel Miranda had never been able to produce and shine in his first Broadway show, “In the Heights” nearly a decade ago, “Hamilton” probably would not exist and neither would these historic wins.
The beautiful photo above of four black performers at the peak of their careers would probably not exist if it weren’t for the fact that a creator of color was empowered years ago to be a true force on Broadway, and ultimately was able to create opportunities for other people of color to shine. That’s the key, and that’s what both Hollywood and Broadway still need to work on.
In a video posted by the Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement organization on Sunday, four trans and queer Latinx leaders candidly shared their thoughts hours after the shooting occurred.
“This attack was years in the making, based off of hundreds and hundreds of years of oppression and violence targeted towards queer and trans people of color,” one participant in the video, above, explains.
It’s true — a 2013 report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that people of color, transgender women and gender nonconforming LGBTQ and HIV-affected people are disproportionately impacted by violence and homicide. Black and Latinx people in the LGBT community are nearly two times more likely to experience violence than whites.
Common wants to help heal and enage the residents in his hometown of Chicago with his latest initiative.
The Oscar winner partnered with the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation for the second installment of the organization’s Park Exchange event series, which took place in Chicago’s Washington Park on June 11.
“As we all know, it’s been a struggle here in Chicago with violence. So first and foremost, I just want them to come out and feel good, feel happy and celebrate,” he said to HuffPost.
To help eradicate the city’s rampant gun violence, the 44-year-old credits his involvement with the Park Exchange program and his very own Common Ground Foundation as helpful elements to aid in cleaning up Chicago and inspire the youth to stay off the streets.
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