Rasha Mubarak discusses her life after Pulse.

Posted on by Thor

On a sketch excursion to The GLBT Center, I watched Rasha Mubarack, Orlando’s regional coordinator for the Council for American /Islamic Relations, as she was interviewed on camera. The Center was holding an event in which a large group of people gathered to offer love and support for Manchester via a video message.

She explained in an oral history at the Orange County Regional History Center, that she was exposed to injustice as a child. Her uncle was a successful businessman who lived in Isleworth Florida. His home was invaded, probably because he was Islamic. Islamaphobia had become mainstream in America. When exposed to one injustice, you become aware of others. A sheik was at the site where hospitalized names were read from a list. If the name of your loved one wasn’t on the list, then it was a worst case scenario. Parents and loved ones were in despair. Some were banging their heads on the walls. This was a hard scene to re-live.

At the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts vigil, Rasha was one of the people on hand to read the names of the 49 victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre. Back stage, she was nervous about the idea of being a Muslim reading the names. Backstage, there was pain and comfort. Reading the names was shattering. Each name had the age next to it. Each of these people have stories. The Methodist Church across the street rang the bell for every name on the list. That moment seemed to last an eternity. Everyone assembled comforted each other. There is mercy in adversity. We are all in this together.

Right after the Pulse Nightclub massacre, Rasha felt personally affected. She went to her mosque as usual and realized that no one else knew what was going on. When she got home, she was hyperventilating and felt the full weight of the tragedy. She was soon called upon to do an interview outside Pulse. It all seemed unreal. How could someone really kill 49 people? This was clearly not a person of god, any god. That first week after Pulse, she was asked many times, “How are you?” Her stock response was, “I’m OK.” One man told her something that stuck with her, “God puts you where he wants you.” When he told her that, everything else seemed OK. She just needed to do the right thing, be on the right side, and keep going.

There was a backlash after Pulse, but it could have been a lot worse. Islamaphobia has increased 500% in Central Florida in the past year. What side of history do you want to be on? The Council for American /Islamic Relations is fighting for civil liberties for all Americans. At a Democratic partisan event, Rasha was pulled aside for appearing “suspicious.” She fights for marginalized people and found herself marginalized.

Orlando is a place where people come to get away. On June 12, a criminal tried to dismantle that. He forever changed the lives of 49 families. How do we react when our world is disturbed? Our hearts fall in and out of love with everything. Out hearts have memory. We need to remember the beauty that came out of it all. We need to understand the diversity and stand for civil liberties for everyone.

Screw fireworks, we all need some Santa on July 4th.

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Usually on the first Monday of each month, I host Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD). In May, I decided to host the event at Frosty’s Christmastime Lounge (50 East Central Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32801). Frosty is a snowman, Frosty is also what you call a cold cocktail or beer. However you interpret it, it is correct. Frosty’s wants to give you the feeling of the holidays all year round. Why wait until December?

Located right near the Orange County Regional History Center, Frosty’s does sport plenty of Christmas bling, like stockings hung with care under the liquor bottles, to a fat Santa near the entrance and the the sexy leg lamp won in the film “A Christmas Story.” Old school large bulb Christmas lights were strung from the rafters and the TVs only played Christmas specials and movies like “Home Alone.” The images on the screen have a strange blue electric haze that may or may not have been intentional, but looked like it was a short circuit.

The specialties at Frosty’s are the craft snow cones with names like, Porky’s Liposuction, Coconuts roasted over an open fire, and the last wurd. I was the only artist around, so I figured it might be a short evening and I ordered a Heineken. Besides myself, there were only 3 people at the far end of the bar. The sketch progressed quickly. Mandi Ilene Schiff stopped by with her fiancé Robert Johnston. Mandi worked up an intricate redesign of the Frosty’s logo. They were soon off to another party as I was finishing up my sketch.

Going to Frosty’s early on a Monday night wasn’t very exciting, but I am sure the place perks up as the evening wears on. I heard that there is snow sometimes, but I didn’t witness it myself. I might return as the weather cools down a bit.

Johnny Reb is removed from Lake Eola.

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The statue of Johnny Reb was first erected in 1911 in Orlando near the courthouse which is now the Orange County Regional History Center. In 1917, it was moved to Lake Eola because the base was bowing, and because cars were becoming popular, there was a fear that it might collapse and become a hazard with all the new automotive activity. When the statue was moved this year starting around 7AM on June 20th, workers found a metal box inside the upper base of the statue. It was reported that a time capsule had been found. It was moved to City Hall. Paper on the boxes surface had disintegrated with age.

An Orlando Regional History Center historian, scanned newspaper articles from 1911 and found that the box contained newspapers from the dedication day along with several Confederate flags, some Confederate coins, a picture of General Robert E. Lee on his horse, Traveller, and a list of the members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and veterans responsible for the statue’s creation. The box likely wasn’t intended as a time capsule but instead was put in place to honor fallen Confederate solders. Since it isn’t a time capsule with an intended opening date of say 100 or 200 years, there is some debate as to whether the box should be opened at all. 1911 United Daughters of the Confederacy meeting minutes are being sought and researched to find out if the box was ever intended to be opened. The fact that the box has been moved inside means that decomposition might accelerate if it were returned unopened to the statue which is being relocated to Greenwood Cemetery. The condition of the objects inside the box is uncertain. There is plenty of heat and humidity in Florida, so paper items have possibly turned to dust in the 106 years it has been sealed inside the statue’s marble base. A City Hall spokesperson claimed that bugs are coming out from the box.To properly conserve the items inside, the box would need to be placed in
refrigeration for about a week to be sure to kill off any bacteria
and bugs inside. Items would need to be preserved with the same deliberate delicacy and dedication as the items collected from Pulse memorials. Staff at the History Center have opened 150 year old time capsules before.

I made my way to Lake Eola to sketch Johnny Reb’s last day on Government property. An American flag waved over the scene rather than a Confederate flag and I found it fascinating that the 18 wheeler used to transport the statue had a rainbow colored coil that ran from the cab to the trailer. Across the lake the rainbow colored Disney Amphitheater also added color to the occasion. Online face-time videos of the statues removal elicited lots of angry faced emoticons along with a few hearts. I find it amazing that a public statue’s relocation could bring about so many heated emotions.

Some feel that moving the statue to the cemetery is like ignoring or pushing aside aspects of our past while others feel it is removing a symbol of white supremacy, racism, and hate. Today, Tampa elected to keep a Confederate monument standing at it’s courthouse. Our city is still recovering from a massacre that was fueled by hate at the Pulse Nightclub. Johnny Reb stood vigilant for 106 years without garnering much attention from the homeless gathered at his feet. In the 1960’s his gun was stolen, broken, and scattered around Orlando. Sculptor Albin Polasek created a replacement gun. The sculpture’s removal sparked many arguments about history and who gets to write it. Johnny is in storage while city permits are being acquired for building a new foundation at Greenwood Cemetery. I drive past Greenwood almost daily and see the four headstones of Pulse victims that are laid to rest there. Bright rainbow colored balloons were added in remembrance one year after the shooting. Perhaps Johnny Reb will one day hold rainbow colored balloons instead of his gun. In 1911 the statue was created with a budget of about $120.00. It is being moved and renovated with a budget of $120,000.00. The knee jerk reactions to this statue’s fate seem like a diversion from the really important issues that allowed 49 innocent people to be murdered as they danced.

History is collected at Pulse.

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Pamela Schwartz, the curator of exhibitions and collections at the Orange County Regional History Center has spearheaded the effort to collect and preserve items left at the Pulse Memorial. She let me know that September 16th was a big day of collection. TV news cameras were there in force. They surrounded Pamela as she explained the collection efforts.

That morning I saw a Facebook post from a citizen who was concerned that the American flags at the site might not be disposed of properly. He wanted a boy scout troop to collect the flags. I can say without a doubt that the History Center Staff know how to collect, restore and preserve better than any boy scout.

Barbara Poma, the club owner was on site to oversee the collection. I have been sitting in on interviews with her employees and vastly admire the way she has supported her staff since the Pulse shooting.

A new silk fence shield has been created that features work from local artists. Amazingly no one told Barbara about this new addition. It is colorful but it will be ripped and tattered by tourists and locals who want to see the building. People have a macabre need to see bullet holes. The new fence will be moved closer to the club so that there is less need for the cement barricades that now are in the road to protect tourists

Items were collected and stored in custom museum boxes. The staff will then clean and restore items as best they can. Of course it rains almost every afternoon, so water damage is prevalent. They also clear away wax, and catalogue everything. Organic items like dead flowers are recycled as mulch in local city gardens. Pamela and her staff are doing an amazing job.

History Center Holiday at Heritage Square

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On December 3rd the Orange County Regional History Center celebrated the Holidays in Heritage Square (South Magnolia Avenue and East Central Boulevard). The event was complete with live music, visits with Santa Claus, crafts, milk and cookies; plus Mayor Teresa Jacobs turned on the holiday lights.

On the walk to the History Center, I bumped into my wife Terry walking around Lake Eola and was amazed to see that she had died all her hair a deep purple. She was on the phone with my sister Carol. She handed the phone to me and Carol told me that my distant cousin Cornelia Thorspecken and her daughter Nini would be visiting Orlando in the summer. I’d have to get the guest room ready for visitors.

At the History Center, the park was quite dark but the facade of the building was lit by bright color changing spot lights. As a sketch artist I get annoyed with these color changing lights having to choose a color palette that might change on a whim. All the new sculptures in town seem to use color changing lights like none of the artists could make a decision about which color would work best.

A children’s chorus sang off tune. Though lacking talent they were adorable which is what counts. When Teresa Jacobs flipped on the lights, long strands of Christmas lights arched up to the top floor creating the illusion of a Christmas Tree. With the lights on, everyone was invited inside to meet Santa. My sketch was done, so I packed it up for the day. The last time I tried to draw Santa I had been kicked out of the mall, so I wasn’t going to push my luck.

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BAERtoven and SchuBAERt

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Wendy Wallenberg informed me of free admission to the Orange County Regional History Center (65 E. Central Blvd. Orlando FL) if you are a Bank of America  or Merrill Lynch cardholder.  My wife works for Merrill Lynch, so on July 6th I went to try out the deal. I presented my Merrill Lynch Credit Card, at first the woman didn’t know what I was talking about, but her supervisor did. and sure enough I was offered free admission.

In partnership with Bank of America, the History Center offers free admission on the first full
weekend of every month for Bank of America and or Merrill Lynch cardholders. So, Mark your Calendar, if you have a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch card, you can get in the History Center free on August 3rd and 4th.

I just went to the museum to do one sketch. There are two Polar Bears under the stairwell that have always intrigued me. It turns out their names are BAERtoven and SchuBAERt. The names are spelled correctly. Bill Baer and his appliance store bears were a familiar sight to Winter Park and Altamonte Mall shoppers in the 1950’s and 60’s. BAERtoven actually held a baton, but I left it out of the sketch because it diminished his pride.

I executed this sketch a bit differently than I usually do. I worked strictly in watercolor and added ink line work as an after thought. I liked the process and I need to do that more often.