Memorials for Memorial Day

Monday is Memorial Day. A day to remember those who we have lost to injustice. A day to remember those that others would like us to forget. Here are a few individuals to remember and memorialize on this Memorial Day.

Mental Health Warriors:

All those who are currently mental health warriors and all those who have been lost to mental health-related causes. We remember you.

Transgender Women of Color:

All those Transgender women of color who have been killed by individuals and by unjust systems. Including the following from this year. We remember you.

• Dana Martin, 31, a Black transgender woman, was fatally shot in Montgomery, Alabama, on January 6. Reports stated that she was found in a roadside ditch in her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Daroneshia Duncan-Boyd, an Alabama-based trans advocate, said that “she was a person that was loved by many.”

• Ashanti Carmon, 27, a Black transgender woman, was fatally shot in Prince George's County, Maryland, on March 30. Few details are yet known about the crime, and the investigation is ongoing. “Until I leave this Earth, I’m going to continue on loving her in my heart, body, and soul,” said Philip Williams, Carmon’s fiancé. “She did not deserve to leave this Earth so early, especially in the way that she went out.

• Claire Legato, 21, a Black transgender woman, was fatally shot in Cleveland on April 15. Local media reports that Legato was shot in the head after an argument broke out between her mother and the suspect. She was taken to a nearby hospital and died from her injuries on May 14. Friends and family took to social media to mourn Legato’s death, remembering her as someone who was “full of life.”

• Muhlaysia Booker, 23, a Black transgender woman, was fatally shot in Dallas on May 18. Local media reported that Booker was found dead, lying face down with a gunshot wound near a golf course in east Dallas. In April, Booker was viciously attacked in what Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings described as “mob violence.” Officers say that there is no indication as of this point that the April attack is linked to Booker’s killing.

• Michelle "Tamika" Washington, 40, a Black transgender woman, was fatally shot in Philadelphia on May 19. Police responded to reports of shots fired in North Philadelphia’s Franklinville neighborhood, according to the Philadelphia Gay News. Washington, who was also known by the name Tameka, was found with several gunshot wounds and transported to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She is remembered by friends and loved ones as a beloved sister and “gay mother.”

Children who have been killed in US detention facilities

Too many children are dying in US custody at the border. We remember you.

• 10-year-old girl from El Salvador (Last Year)

• 16-year-old Carlos Gregorio Hernández Vásquez from Guatemala 

• 2-year-old Wilmer Josué Ramírez Vásquez from Guatemala

• 16-year-old Juan de León Gutiérrez from Guatemala

• 8-year-old Felipe Alónzo-Gomez from Guatemala

• 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin from Guatemala.

Individuals who have been shot and killed by police

So far in 2019 363 have been shot and killed by police, In 2018 992 were shot and killed by police. We remember you

On this Memorial Day remember all those who have been killed by injustice and unjust systems. As Summer begins how are you going to take a moment to help prevent deaths such as these from happening in the future? Who are you going to write? Who are you going to talk too? What groups are you going to support? How are you going to make a difference?