Transgender
woman Shahere “Diamond” Jackson-McDonald was found shot to death in
Philadelphia the morning of November 24, Thanksgiving Day.
Jackson-McDonald,
27, was discovered at her mother’s apartment in the Germantown
neighborhood, Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate reports. She had been
shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene. It didn’t appear that
anyone had forced their way into the apartment.
“We are here
today to honor a promising life that was violently ended by a person or persons
that Philadelphia Police and our office are working tirelessly to bring to
justice, so that they can be held accountable for this crime and are not able
to cause any further harm to others,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry
Krasner said at a press conference last week, according to the station. “We are
here to say her name: Diamond Jackson-McDonald.”
“I just want
the world to know that Diamond was my rock, my shoulder, my child whom I love
with every inch of me of what I have left to give,” Linda Jackson, Jackson-McDonald's
mother, said at the press conference. “Whoever you are, you took away my gem,
my Diamond, someone whom was all about her family and friends. You tore many
hearts, and we will not rest until we get justice. I will not sleep until you
are caught. You may not have to answer to me now, but you will have to answer
to God. You reap what you sow.”
“It is
devastating and heart-wrenching as we mourn the loss of yet another member of
our LGBTQ family, Shahere ‘Diamond’ Jackson-McDonald,” said Celena Morrison,
executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, according to
the Philly Voice. “Violence against transgender
people — especially our trans siblings of color — continues to be an epidemic
in this country, and it is unacceptable. My office is committed to ensuring
that acts of discrimination, bigotry, and hatred are never tolerated in the city
of Philadelphia, and we will not stop until all of us are safe and treated with
respect and honor.”
Tori Cooper,
director of community engagement for the Human Rights Campaign’s Transgender
Justice Initiative, released this statement: “Diamond was a beautiful gem who
should still be with us today. All of us — allies and community members alike —
grieve with her family and friends. Diamond’s life mattered. We stand with her
family and call for justice for Diamond. The epidemic of violence we face as
Black transgender women is driven by stigma and hate. And it’s all just because
we wish to live our lives. All of us, including allies, have a responsibility
to hold the people in our lives accountable for their words because ideologies
of hate do in fact lead to violence. It must end.”
Jackson-McDonald’s
family has known other tragedies, Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents reports.
Twelve relatives — nine children and three adults — died in an apartment fire
last January. Her brother died in August. And she was friends with another
Black trans woman who died by violence, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, who was killed in
Philadelphia in 2020.
“Diamond’s
social media is filled with photos of her family and acknowledgment of their
impact on her life,” Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents notes.
“She celebrated birthdays, honored losses, loved her nieces and nephews, and
just poured her heart into all of those relationships. She was fun-loving,
bold, and determined. She deserved better than we gave her and that’s on all of
us to bear.”
Philadelphia
police advised anyone with information on Jackson-McDonald’s death to call 911
or submit a tip by calling (215) 686-TIPS (8477). There’s an option to leave
tips anonymously.
Jackson-McDonald
is at least the 37th trans, nonbinary, or
gender-nonconforming person to die by violence in the U.S. this year. That
total includes a trans man and a trans woman killed in the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs November 19 as well as a
trans woman, whose name has not been released, who was killed in Vallejo,
Calif., last month. That is most likely an undercount, as many of these deaths
go unreported or misreported, with victims deadnamed and misgendered. The
nation saw a record 57 confirmed violent deaths among this
population last year.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
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