Emotions fi lled the conference room in the lower level of the PAC building at the University of Illinois Springfi eld as Kerry Poynter, director of the UIS LGBTQA resource offi ce and his staff read the names of the 49 victims who lost their lives to the actions of a terrorist-affi liated gunman. On June 13, Omar Mateen, a member of the ISIS terrorist network, killed 49 people and injured an additional 53 people at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where a large Hispanic population resided. In response to the mass shooting, Poynter and the LGBTQ resource offi ce hosted a candlelight vigil, creating a safe space for people to mourn the victims. As the group shared refl ections, there were ongoing themes of acceptance, love and anger concerning minority community members in general. Poynter asked guests to not perpetuate hate against the LGBTQA community as well as the Muslim community. “Tragedies often lead people to seek someone or something to blame,” Poynter said. “Let us instead recommit ourselves to working towards a world without hatred and prejudice.”