Day of Remembrance
Gwendolyn Ann Smith
The following was written up by the person helping to coordinate the
"Day of Remembrance" event in Atlanta. I felt it was a good write-up,
worthy of reposting.
Those who do wish to plan an event in their area are encouraged to drop
me a note, to let me know. Bear in mind that I will be away for a
couple weeks shortly, so my reply will be delayed.
There are many cities signing up, but there are still some major cities
and not represented, nor is there much in the midwest yet.
Cheers,
Gwen Smith
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DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
November 28th is the second anniversary of the death of Rita Hester, a
Transgender woman who was stabbed to death in Boston, MA. Her death
sparked Gwen Smith to create a web page on the GEA site called,
"Remembering Our Dead." As of July 15, 2000, there were 203 names on
that list from all over the world, and when you realize the small size
of the population they came from, that is a big number. Keep in mind,
those are only the names we know of. Also, this does not include all
the violent assaults toward Transgender people that did NOT end in
death. We are targets in the most brutal way human nature can dream up.
On November 28, 2000 will be the second annual "Day of Remembrance."
Last year, a lot of Transgender web sites were blacked out. This year,
Gwen is asking if we could do something more a bit public. In San
Francisco, she is organizing a candlelight vigil, and getting people to
speak on this epidemic that faces us. We are also planning to do the
same thing here in Atlanta, as is Santa Cruz, Phoenix, Tucson, Houston,
New York City, Boston and possibly Austin. Here in Atlanta, we will
read the names of the people who have died in the year prior to
11/28/00, ringing a bell each time a name is read. It is our hope that
one day, we will have a year where we do not ring the bell.
Those of us who have committed to do this are asking our friends in
other cities to organize something for that evening as well. It doesn't
have to be public, but the whole point is to poignantly demonstrate to
the whole world the scope of this problem. I, personally, encourage
people to put together something in your city to remember our dead.
They are our brothers and sisters, and if we do not remember them, who
will? As of this moment, the bell will ring 12 times, going back to
Tacy Ranta on 11/22. I pray the number will not increase, but horribly,
that may not be the case. Help us show the world that we will never
forget. Help us remember our dead.
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/\\//\ Gwendolyn Ann Smith * Community Host, Trans Gazebo
> () < Board Member, GEA * Webmistress, TransBay
\/()\/ Webmistress, SCCatl * Webmistress, Gender.org
"I want this to be a harmony of voices" - Lauren D. Wilson
**Posts may not reflect the views of the above organizations