06/03/2020
House of Rebirth & Revolution Cafe & Bookstore stand in fierce anger and solidarity with Iyanna Dior who was viciously beaten in Minneapolis by a mob of cis Black men and women; the same place George Floyd was killed and whose death is being avenged across the United States.
In times as unprecedented as these we are reminded of the silence around the murder of by police in Florida as well as the perpetual violence and lack of safety too many Black trans people especially Black trans women face at the hands of people within our own communities everywhere we go. We are often encouraged to ignore intra-racial violence and focus on the external violence of the state but from this point forward we say NO!
Our very lives depend on halt to ALL VIOLENCE against Black trans bodies.
All Black Lives MUST Matter.
Black trans people cannot and will no longer slice ourselves down the middle in order to be seen as important. We will not be expected to march with our murders and abusers and be quiet about our pain.
In this moment we are concerned and vigilant about the security of Iyanna and all of our trans siblings across the country and ask that if you or an organization you are affiliated with are hosting rallies, protests or vigils that you remember to uplift Iyanna and amplify this message : None of us are free until ALL of us are free. We are charged with crafting a liberation movement that values and protects those who are most marginalized among us. Without intentionally unpacking the transphobia, sexism and incongruent responses to state violence that fester in many movement spaces we will never see that liberation.
You may donate directly to Iyanna via Cashapp : $NajaBabiie
Please also donate to, love on and help out your local trans Black neighbors and community members where ever you are.
