Pulse Nightclub Massacre Eight Years Later: 'We Will Never Stop Mourning'
newsweek.comNewsweek on Wednesday's eighth anniversary of the massacre.Morales woke that Sunday morning to the horror of the deadly attack on his community and a place he knew.
Morales would then immediately learn he had friends and acquaintances among those killed in what is now the second worst mass shooting in American history."Despite the passage of time, the wounds of the past still ache as though they were fresh for many of us," Morales told Newsweek. "The pain, the loss, the trauma - these are not things that simply fade away with time.
They linger, they shape us, and they remind us of our shared humanity."Back in 2016, Morales was working at The Center in Orlando which in the shooting's aftermath became the frontline providing support and help to those affected by the tragedy.The LGBT+ center was packed from morning to night with people seeking comfort or just trying to figure out how they could help.
Morales stood as a leader for the LGBT+ community eight years ago as he stands as a leader now.The now 41-year-old who is working with city officials on the Pulse Memorial planned to spend Wednesday taking part in "meaningful events to honor the victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting.""My day begins with attending a remembrance event organized by the City of Orlando, where we will join together to pay tribute to those whose lives were tragically taken and show solidarity with those who carry the emotional weight of that fateful night," Morales said to Newsweek."I will also have the privilege of attending a dinner with families and survivors before the memorial ceremony.