Transgender Education Collaboration

I am Trayvon, I am Cece!

By Jena S Lewis

Right now you are seeing “I am Trayvon” plastered everywhere, and personally I feel rightfully so. The modern day lynching of Trayvon is not something that should be tolerated and I am proud to be part of a community that is willing to stand and demand justice for Trayvon Martin. I too have been seen on facebook and elsewhere in my hoodie for solidarity.

In case you do not know what I am talking about, Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old kid who went down to 7/11 to pick up his little brother some skittles and an iced tea, only to be shot down by an overzealous “community watch” member in his father’s neighborhood while walking home. Oh year Trayvon was unarmed and Black, and his murderer was not charged or even held in custody until a nationwide outcry for justice happened.

Being an ally for a justice or even others is easy when the case seems so clear from what you have heard. In this case Trayvon a kid, much younger and smaller than his attacker was unarmed doing his little brother a favor when he died. But what if the case get more murky and what if the person if you add in other issues into the mix? Is being an ally as easy?

Last year in Minnesota Cece McDonald was walking to the grocer’s when she and her group of friends and family found themselves in a situation not that different than Trayvon. As they walked passed a patio of a local tavern some of the patrons started shouting racial slurs and derogatory transgender remarks at Cece and her group. Being someone who is not accepting of insults Cece did not let the shouts pass, and those tavern patrons then turned to violence. Cece received lacerations to her face from a woman who broke a glass across her face. But tradically in the end one of Cece’s attackers was dead. When the authorities came to sort things out, there was only one person taken to jail and charged, Cece.

Cece McDonald is a 23 year old college student working her way through school. She did what I feel anyone of us would have, she defended herself, and is now looking at 2nd degree murder for doing so. How is it that there is not an outrage surrounding Cece’s case? The woman was attacked for walking while black, but also for another heinous crime of walking while transgender. Do you think that is why she was the only one charged with anything when her attackers provoked the fight, and turned it to violence? I think maybe so.

So I say to you all Just as I stand here proudly saying “I am Trayvon” in solidarity with the need for justice for Trayvon Martin, I also stand here and proudly say “I am Cece!” Can you stand with me? We must do so now and do so loudly for Cece’s murder trial starts next Monday!!!

If you would like more information about Cece McDonald’s case click here.

You can take action by clicking here