www.newsandletters.org
|
www.newsandletters.org
|
|
|
Memphis mourns Duanna Johnson
Memphis, Tenn.--Duanna Johnson, a Transgendered Black woman, died on Nov. 10 from "execution style" gunshot wounds to the head. Police investigators have classified the crime as a murder but have not yet found the killer. Duanna had been beaten by a white officer, Bridges McRae, while under arrest in the Shelby County Jail. This incident inspired an effort to achieve justice for Duanna and demand sensitivity from the police towards the LGBT population and towards people of color. Since that time, McRae has been indicted on civil rights charges and the Memphis Police Department has set up a day-long LGBT sensitivity training seminar for officers. The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition has helped Duanna's family raise funds for the funeral. On Nov. 16, about 80 to 100 mourners walked in a candlelight vigil procession from the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center to the steps of the First Congregational Church. Statements about Duanna's life were made by the pastor, Rev. Cheryl Cornish, Amy Livingston of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, and Jonathan Cole of the Shelby County Committee of the Tennessee Equality Project. It was mentioned that Duanna had been suffering from a drug problem, that she was working as a prostitute and that the utilities had been cut off in her home. Right before she was killed, she had been preparing to leave Memphis, where she had dealt with so many problems. At the end of the vigil, the mourners spontaneously began to sing "We Shall Overcome." Duanna was especially remembered at the annual Memphis Transgender Day of Remembrance along with Tiffany Berry, Ebony Whitaker, and Dre'Ona Blake. On this day, vigils take place internationally and a long list of names is read of Transgender people who were murdered in hate crimes. The Memphis event took place at sunset by the river at Tom Lee Park and was attended by about 30 people. It was sponsored by Perpetual Transition, a Memphis-area support group for Transgender people, which handed out a pamphlet on how to deal with the police along with a list of LGBT organizations. At this vigil, Mara Keisling, the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender equality, stated that she had tried to help Duanna get into a treatment program for her drug addiction. Every program in Memphis refused to help her. One program offered to help her if she presented herself as a man, which Duanna refused to do as it would be intolerable. The murder of Duanna Johnson has sparked national mourning and outrage. The Memphis community will pressure the justice system to find the killer, convict McRae, and end hate crime violence against LGBT people and people of color. |
|
Home l News & Letters Newspaper l Back issues l News and Letters Committees l Raya Dunayevskaya l Contact us l Search l RSS
Published by News and Letters Committees
|
