Andrés Acosta speaks during the 2022 Orlando Strong Symposium. (Photo by Madison Pollock)
ORLANDO | With the beating of the drum made from deer hide, guests were introduced to a traditional dance from the Creative Native American Dancers & Educators during the 2022 Orlando Strong Symposium Sept. 15. Eagle feathers, which are earned through acts of kindness, bounced as the performer danced throughout the crowded room in UCF’s Dr. Phillips Academic Commons. An intrinsic dance to honor the fallen “warriors” of the Pulse shooting.
The symposium, hosted by Contigo Fund and held at UCF Downtown Sept. 15-16, kicked off the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month by diving deeper into laws that were passed through the Florida Legislature this past session that were seen to have a negative impact on the lives of LGTBQ, Latinx, immigrants and people of color communities.
The theme for this year’s symposium was “For Our Collective Rights & Freedom.”
“We gather in righteous anger as the hate-slate of laws driven by far-right politicians here in Florida, from laws like Don’t Say LGBTQ and the Stop Woke Act, to the 15-week abortion ban, and the transgender healthcare bans,” Marco Antonio Quiroga, executive director of the Contigo Fund, said to a crowd of supporting listeners. “Laws aiming to police every aspect of our lives. From our classrooms, businesses, to our doctor’s offices and our bodies.”
After Antonio Quiroga’s speech, Orlando Commissioner for District 4, Patty Sheehan, read the city’s official proclamation declaring Sept. 15 “Orlando Strong Symposium Day.” The opening ceremony included video remarks from both Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
“The work’s never done and there will always be forces opposing good,” Sheehan said. “But that doesn’t mean we give up; we keep fighting and I’m glad to see symposiums like this one.”
The two-day event had guests engaged with 12 different workshops, divided between seven different plenaries that highlighted Pulse, immigration rights, LGBTQ education, HIV justice, transgender health care, advancing equity, diversity and inclusion and reproductive freedom/abortion access. After a long look on how far the LGTBQ, Latinx, immigrants and people of color communities have come and discussing their plans for the future, guests were invited to an official networking mixer the first night at Savoy Orlando. Attendees were invited to “The City Beautiful Reception” at the Winter Park Event Center on the event’s second night.
In between plenaries, guests attended workshops on a variety of topics including sexual violence, microaggressions, fundraising, voting rights, HIV, harm reduction and advocacy through art. Andrés Acosta, Contigo Fund’s community relations manager, says this was the first year the symposium integrated workshops into their event and that he was surprised by the large turnout of attendees there was.
“I think there’s always this really high level of nerves that comes before an event and just seeing that the community showed up makes me really happy and kind a relieved,” he says.
A relaxation room was offered to guests to take a break from the socializing and discussions. Attendees were offered snacks, art activities and one-on-one peer support in a quiet space. There was also a “trans and gender diverse lounge” where different organizations displayed their resources, such as name changing services and make-up tutorials, for the transgender community.
“Moments like these, not only fill us with hope, they also renew our sense of self determination. Far-winged politicians keep voting and attacking us because they know that in the long run we will win,” Antonio Quiroga said. “The opponents of judges are few and they know we are many and when we stand together, we are powerful.”
For Debo Ofsowitz the symposium is a necessary event to give communities a voice and safe place to discuss these important issues. Ofsowitz, who is director of donor relations at Hope CommUnity Center, had attended last year’s online event and looked forward to this year’s event for the plenary called “Here to Stay: Immigrant Rights,” which details the xenophobic attacks on immigrants within Central Florida and how the community is fighting to build long-term strategies to protect immigrant rights.
“I’m excited to see them,” Ofsowitz says. “They wouldn’t have the opportunity to have that conversation or even present if it wasn’t for the Contigo Fund expanding this. I think the more they can expand it, the more attention, the more attendance, the more funding, it really can become something that keeps us not just in the line of sight in Florida, but nationally.”
