“I’ve been in so many spaces where I’m the first and only Black trans woman or trans woman period. I just want to work until there are fewer and fewer ‘first and only,’” says RaquelWillis_
Illustration: Lauren Tamaki On June 14, the writer and activist Raquel Willis stood on the Brooklyn Museum’s balcony and gave a historic speech. She told the crowd of 15,000 who had gathered at the march for Black trans lives that any organization without Black trans leadership is “obsolete.” She mourned lost lives in the trans community and asked thousands of people to chant: “I believe in Black trans power.
Before the pandemic, I just had succulents because I was always super-busy and not home that much. But now I’ve definitely become one of those cliché folks who has a monstera, a snake plant, ferns, and so much more. I also now have a hydroponic garden with peppers and tomatoes. I’m waiting for some lavender to bloom. My plants have sustained me throughout the quarantine. They’re a reminder that even when it’s difficult, there’s something left that can bloom if you care for it right.
It hasn’t always gone well, of course. You know, I’ve had my speaking moments where I was like, “Wow, that was a dud.” Some days, I have intense anxiety and I’m very worried about what I’m going to say and how it’s going to be perceived. But the day of the march for Black trans lives, I allowed myself to move beyond the insecurities. I was like, “So what if my voice doesn’t sound the way I always think it should sound?” That’s one of the things I have dysphoria around as a trans woman.
I knew that I wanted it to end with some kind of chant. While I was speaking, I was thinking to myself, “Okay, we’re getting to that point girl, what’s the word?” And I thought of “power.” I was thinking about Black power. I was thinking about trans power. And I was like “Oh! Black trans power! Why is nobody saying that?”
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