Hi, fam! I am hoping that you can join us for a Trans Day of Remembrance Ceremony and Town Hall at Samsung 837 in New York City at 6 PM on Wednesday, November 20. This free and open-to-the-public event is organized by TransLash along with our partners at Samsung. Click here for your tickets.
Not only will we mark the lives lost over the past year, but we will also hear from surviving family members, specifically that of Layleen Polanco, a trans woman of color who died in police custody at Rikers Island. We will also focus on the voices of TGNC youth from across the country about the challenges they face.
Contributing to this cultural moment, we will also hear the spoken word of Miss Mojo and view the artwork of Trans Resistance Through Media.
I think it is important to center the plight of families left behind in the wake of trans violence. These stories are often untold, a fact which continues the dehumanization of trans people even after passing. That is why Melania Brown, Layeen’s sister, will be joining me on-stage for a conversation. This exchange will take place after the poetry of Miss Mojo, the reading of the names of those lost, and a moment of silence.
After the conversation with Melania we will then move to video shorts prepared by TRUTH participants Mulani Jackson, a trans woman, and Jayy Covert, who is non-binary, about the ways in which digital and social media can either help or undermine the process of becoming ourselves.
We will wrap the night up with a digital town hall conversation, including both social media and live participants, about how to move forward despite the violent backlash.
Because this event brings together so many different strands of experience, I hope that you will be able to join and bring others as well.
Special thanks go to the Transgender Law Center, GSA Network, the Anti-Violence Project, and the Global Action Project for helping to make this happen. Pulling this together has been a community-wide undertaking.
– Imara Jones
