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Last night, Suley Cruz, SAGE Center Harlem’s Site Manager, spoke at an InterFaith Prayer Vigil hosted by Integrity Harlem (LGBTQ+ Ministry) at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. Read her powerful words below.

It’s hard to come up with the proper words to fully convey the hurt we all feel at this moment. It’s difficult to grasp that one individual could exact such violence on people simply out enjoying their lives.

I take comfort in knowing that I work for SAGE, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older adults. I take comfort in seeing the faces of our SAGE participants, seasoned Heroes of Pride, our elders who remain unafraid to live their best lives and walk in their truth, who have seen and overcome so much yet remind us there is still work to be done.
I take comfort in gatherings like this Inter-faith vigil tonight, where we embrace our differences and come together to continue the work of combating hatred and discrimination.

I take comfort in seeing the outpouring of love across the nation from varying communities. Reminding us that we are a diverse nation but we are all human. If one community is hurting we are ALL hurting.

We must remember that these actions were of one individual. We must not feed into the rhetoric that seeks to divide us. Our strength is in our unity and continued commitment to fight against injustice and bigotry.

We owe it to our brother’s and sister’s lost in Orlando, we owe it to the future generations, and we owe it our elders who have brought us this far.

-Suley Cruz, Site Manager, SAGE Center Harlem