Dear Friends,
Yesterday morning, it happened again. We awoke to the horror, pain and anguish of another act of terrorism, this time the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The numbers are startling. At least 49 people dead and 53 injured from an attack that occurred at Pulse, a gay club in Orlando during Pride month. So many people, so many families, so many communities destroyed in only a few moments.
Just before the shooting, the assailant, Omar Saddiqui Mateen, reportedly called 911 and pledged allegiance to ISIS. Though Mateen had twice been a person of interest to the FBI, no one saw this slaughter coming. And so, it happened once again on American soil.
Sunday’s massacre at Pulse is clearly an act of terrorism, fueled by unimaginable hatred. At Tanenbaum, we stand in solidarity with the people of Orlando but, also, with the people of the LGBTQ community who are being targeted by violence, once again. Indeed, for this community, the violence is both terrorism and a hate crime.
We know that, in times like these, it’s easy to fall back on stereotypes. Across the news, we hear national voices using them. We hear the voices of division, warning us that if one Muslim is a terrorist, we must fear all. But that is wrong. And we know better. As Americans, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we do not conflate Islam and followers of that tradition with Mateen’s horrific actions. And that we do not forget that haters in other shapes and sizes exist, and that they are also dangerous.
We are at a critical moment in our history. The choice is ours. We must not allow terrorism and hatred to destroy our communities. This is a complex and difficult moment. There are many contributing factors to the growing hatred, division and random violence we fear and experience.
But one thing is certain. Our nation is great because of our shared humanity and great diversity. The massacre at Pulse is an attack against all of us. And that means it is the responsibility of each of us to defy the terrorists. We must refuse to let fear turn to unjust distrust and hatred of our neighbors. The time to stand together is now. And in one voice say, No to hate!
In sorrow, but with a firm resolve,
Joyce S. Dubensky
CEO, Tanenbaum