Birmingham Remembers Victims of Orlando Nightclub Shooting
Hundreds gathered in downtown Birmingham yesterday evening to remember victims of Sunday’s mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people. A diverse group of faith leaders led those assembled in Linn Park in prayer.
Rachel Osier Lindley,WBHM
Birmingham City Hall, Monday, June 13.
“Our responses are what teach us how to live,” says Jennifer Sanders, a minister in Birmingham. She says the gathering was about healing, grieving and connection. “When we can respond by becoming a better community, and a stronger community, and better people, we, in turn, honor the lives that were sacrificed.”
The City of Birmingham marked the tragedy with a rainbow flag draping the entrance to city hall.
Sunday’s shooting came on the last day of Birmingham’s Pride celebration, in which gays and lesbians and their allies come together to honor the LGBTQ community.
“It touched me somewhere deep inside,” says University of Montevallo student Bethany Jones. “Having only come out only six years ago and just now going to my first pride…I feel like it’s one of my duties as part of this community to be here.”
Those gathered said it was a time to mourn the dead, but also celebrate love and acceptance with dancing and music.
“I hope to god it brings us closer,” says Gina Mallisham, LGBTQ outreach coordinator at Sidewalk Film Festival. “I’m really tired of everybody being split. Even within the LGBTQ community we’re split. And we need to come together. We need to bring the glue that keeps the country from falling apart.”
Monday night’s gathering ended with a candlelight vigil and a reading of the names of the dead, followed by a march around the park.
Rachel Osier Lindley,WBHM
As the candlelight vigil ends, those gathered began a silent march around Linn Park.
‘The Abandons’ is a sudsy soap opera dressed up in spurs and a cowboy hat
On the surface it's a gorgeous, hardscrabble Western, awash in stark landscapes, grubby faces, bar fights and banditry. But scratch away the grime, and you expose the pure, glitzy soap opera beneath.
Sudanese paramilitary drone attack kills 50, including 33 children, doctor group says
Thursday's attack is the latest in the fighting between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, also known as the RSF, and the Sudanese military, who have been at war for over two years.
Russia unleashes drone and missile attack on Ukraine as diplomatic talks continue
Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Ukraine overnight into Saturday, after U.S. and Ukrainian officials said they'll meet on Saturday for talks aimed at ending the war.
Takeaways from the latest special election and what it means for control of the House
There was yet another sign this week of a potential 2026 wave that could hand control of the House of Representatives to Democrats.
West Virginians question National Guard deployments after attack on 2 of their own
Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., while Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was seriously wounded. Trump says the deployments are necessary to fight crime, but others disagree.
Trump official signals potential rollback of changes to census racial categories
Trump officials are reviewing changes to racial and ethnic categories that the Biden administration approved for the 2030 census and other federal government forms, a White House agency official says.
