Five years ago, 49 people, most of them Latinx, Black and LGBTQ, were killed in a terrible act of violence at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Fifty-three more were injured and countless others were forever changed by witnessing hate or losing a loved one. As we hear the stories of those who were slaughtered, we see small glimpses of 49 unrealized futures, knowing no words can capture the full scope of what their families lost, what our community has lost — beloved parents, beloved partners, beloved co-workers, beloved children or beloved friends.

As we mourn this tragic loss, we must honor them with action to help create a world that does not facilitate mass shootings, a world in which all of us actively support legislation that addresses gun violence. So long as those who wish us harm can take advantage of our country’s failed gun policies, our lives, spaces and futures are not safe.

In honor of those killed at Pulse, I ask that we all see beyond our individual selves and unite as one force organized in the fight to rid our country of this epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings.