By David J. Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition
Today, February 1, is Nigel Shelby’s 17th birthday. Nigel was only 15-years-old when, on April 18, 2019, he died by suicide. Nigel’s death was a response to the unrelenting homophobic bullying he faced at school. Nigel’s mother, Camika Shelby, described her son as a sweet boy with a heart of gold who was respectful, well-mannered and full of joy and light. Nigel was an aspiring performer and Camika said that he still had so much love to give. The loss of Nigel will always be heartbreaking — he…
By Victoria Kirby York, Deputy Executive Director for the National Black Justice Coalition
Hilary, Jaime, Charlie, Kirby, Arya, Stacey, Dakota, Lindsay, and Shawn. What do these names have in common? They are names given to people regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender.
When a Jaime Washington emails you at work without the use of a prefix or personal pronoun, there is no way to know what their sex or gender is without asking. When you accidentally brush up against someone you don’t know in an elevator who has a short haircut and is wearing pants and a button…
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is celebrating its 17th anniversary on December 8. Since 2003, NBJC has been the nation’s leading civil rights organization working at the intersection of racial justice and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and same gender loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) rights.
We are extremely proud of all the work that we have done in the past 17 years advocating for the Black LGBTQ+/SGL community, providing resources that help advance conversations around important topics like HIV and gender justice, responding to hate crimes, and working on public policy that will help protect and advance the rights and needs…
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) mourns the death of Skylar Heath.
Skylar Heath, a 20-year-old Black transgender woman, was killed in Miami, Florida on November 4, 2020 from a reported gunshot wound. There has been a gap in the timing concerning reports of her death because of unanswered questions and a lack of clear details. Her death is now being investigated as a homicide.
Family and friends gathered on November 21 to celebrate Skylar’s life. She has been remembered as a kind and gentle soul with a warm personality who loved her family and close friends dearly.
“We now…
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) stands in support of Darrel Walls.
Darrel Walls was outed recently when a video that was intended only for close friends was leaked online.
Having important parts of who you are and how you show up in the world disclosed publicly, not because you chose to invite people in, but because someone else chose without your consent to make your personal life known, can be traumatizing. Having anyone, but especially someone you trust, expose pieces of you in an attempt to dehumanize you is a particular form of violence. The ignorance and hatred surrounding…
By David J. Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition, and Angela Yee, cohost of The Breakfast Club and founder of Juices for Life
Thirty-two years ago, we observed the first World AIDS Day. In efforts to raise awareness and speak out against the stigma surrounding the disease, organizations worldwide designed programs to combat our biggest opponent: fear. This year is no different. The shame and stigma around sex and sexuality continue to prevent us from having life-saving conversations about sexual health. …
Every year on November 20th, we observe Transgender Day of Remembrance — a day to honor the memories of our trans siblings whose lives have been cut short as a result of, ignorance, bigotry, and violence. We also observe Transgender Day of Resilience, which launched in 2014 to celebrate, nurture, and strengthen trans people of color’s visibility, mutuality, and resistance. This year has been the deadliest on record, particularly for Black trans women, who make up the majority of deaths. This disturbing increase reveals that we are not doing enough to protect trans people in this country.
By Quetzal Molina-Cornejo, Ambassador for the National Black Justice Coalition
My mother came to the US as an infant with her parents as part of the controversial Bracero program, and my father moved here at 16 as a refugee of the civil war in El Salvador. We’ve built a good life here over the years, and I can’t help but know that the racist and transphobic policies enacted by the Trump administration means it’s unlikely any of us would have been able to move here if we attempted to do so today.
The November election holds high stakes for people…
By David J. Johns, Executive Director of National Black Justice Coalition
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Friday, September 18 at the age of 87. Justice Ginsburg, a legal and pop culture icon, served on the Supreme Court for 27 years and was the second woman ever to be appointed to the highest court in the nation. She did incredible work throughout her career as a lawyer, appointee to the D.C. Circuit Court, and a Supreme Court justice. She helped advance the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people and protected and upheld civil rights and liberties.
Evidence…
By Elizabeth Thuranira, NBJC Summer Intern
I have lived with anxiety and depression for the majority of my young life. Around the age of 7, I developed a stutter due to inflected trauma. …
