Watch Broadway stars record a song for the victims of the Orlando shooting.
In the face of hate, love must prevail.
The June 12, 2016, shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub came as a shock to the world — a senseless act of hate. The response to the tragedy, however, has been heartening. Within days, more than $4 million was raised for victims and their families on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe. Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays honored the city during their annual Pride Night game. Across the country, and across the world, people have responded to the tragedy with love and empathy for the LGBTQ community.
Just three days after the shooting, some of Broadway's biggest talents came together to offer a message so simple and yet so perfect: Love must prevail.
Broadway stars Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, Sara Bareilles, Kristen Bell, Sean Hayes, Gloria Estefan, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Billy Porter, and Bernadette Peters were among the dozens of singers who gathered on June 15, at New York's Avatar Studios to record a version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's classic song, "What the World Needs Now Is Love."
Proceeds from MP3 sales will benefit the GLBT Center of Central Florida.
As of June 19, (prior to the song's release) the Center has collected nearly $425,000 in victim relief donations, which are being used to support the needs of victims' families, like air travel, child care, funeral services, health care costs, and counseling, among other services.
When you watch the performance, you can’t help but feel a little choked up. It’s inspiring to see that in response to one person's darkest, most violent actions, humanity can still come together in an effort to win with the power of love.
Even more, the song is an inspiring reminder to take action and prevent the next tragedy from happening.
Whether the action it inspires is downloading the song, supporting local GBLT centers, calling members of Congress to discuss gun safety measures and anti-LGBT discrimination, or something less tangible like inspiring respect for people who are different or making sure to share kindness in the face of pain, it is an emotional reminder that love must prevail — not just in the wake of tragedies, but always.
Watch Broadway for Orlando perform "What the World Needs Now Is Love" below.
Broadway for Orlando's "What the World Needs Now Is Love" can be purchased at the Broadway Records website.