LANSING - On June 20th, Lansing Community College (LCC) held a moment of silence vigil for the Orlando victims who lost their lives at Pulse Nightclub on Sunday, June 12th. LCC invited the community to honor the victims, and following the ceremony community members were invited to participate in a group discussion at The Centre for Engaged Inclusion.

The Associate Dean of Student Success Daniel Thurman, expressed during the community discussion to “Remember that we all have the strength to speak up.”

The discussion was held in the Gannon Building for the Centre for Engaged Inclusion, where faculty and students have a safe and inclusive community to come and connect, as well as a place of belonging. Members of the community and students at LCC shared their testimonies and experiences during the discussion and spoke on how they felt when they heard about the attack.

“We need to learn from our young, both learning but also modeling after them by having a larger conversation about what it really means to be inclusive, what it means to be tolerant, and what it actually means to love your neighbor for who they are,” said Franchesca Cifuentes, the Director of the Centre for Engaged Inclusion at LCC. “Sometimes it’s just a conversation about looking beyond the biases, and realizing that there is a human being on the other side that has worth. We have to look beyond the issue and see people for who they are."

Prior to the community discussion a chime was rung 49 times in honor of the 49 people who lost their lives. Over the next three days more community discussions will be held at 252.02 in the Gannon building.