At the beginning of March 2020 my best friend, jireh, shared a song with me. Written by Birago Diop, a Senagalese poet:
Listen more often to things than to beings
Listen more often to things than to beings
Tis’ the ancestors’ breath
When the fire’s voice is heard
Tis’ the ancestor’s breath
In the voice of the waters
Ah — wsh Ah — wsh
Those who have died have never, never left
The dead are not under the earth
They are in the rustling trees
They are in the groaning woods
They are in the crying grass
They are in the moaning rocks
The dead are not under the earth
They lovingly sang it to me over FaceTime and I’ve held that comfort and care closely. On Trans Day of Remembrance, I want to tap back into that memory, because the cycle of mourning seems to restart all too often. We’re constantly processing unnecessary, violent death and to add a layer of isolation, there are days where healing seems far fetched. And while these aren’t foreign thoughts to me, it feels exacerbated amidst pandemic. This day reminds me; We need each other and we need to fight for each other.
Having to mourn unnecessary and violent death is exhausting and TDOR is a moment for us to make a commitment towards protecting trans people. Each time we have to say goodbye heightens the urgency of the fight. We must acknowledge the legacy of queer and trans liberation as one which is rooted in our fight for Black liberation. So, today I take several breaths and listen to the wind, trees and feel the immediacy of Minnesota’s frigid air. I dream it’s our loved ones breath, as we mourn what could have been and ponder what is possible.
serena, Gender Justice Organizer