Today is Trans Day of Resilience. Here's why it matters:

Growing up, I couldn’t tell you the definition of “transgender.” I just knew I was a girl, even though I didn’t know what that meant.

It was painful for me. I remember not having any answers and not knowing where to get answers from. But mostly, I remember dreaming – dreaming of being free, dreaming of being alive, dreaming of living without any restrictions.

Dreaming was the one thing I had complete control over as a child, and I’ve been able to see a little bit of my dreams come true through the work I do with GetEQUAL,#BlackLivesMatter, and The Movement for Black Lives.

But to create the world I dreamed of as a little girl – a world where Black trans folks are alive, thriving, and full of joy – it’s going to take a lot more than just me. Because little boys like Tamir Rice are gunned down by police on the playground, just for being black. Because my trans sisters like Zella Ziona and Kiesha Jenkins are murdered for living their truths.

Over 300,000 people have seen eight revolutionary visions for a better world for trans women and femmes of color. Are you one of them? Check out the Trans Day of Resilience art project – then SHARE it with your community >>

It’s not enough to just commemorate folks today, during the Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience, or Tamir, Zella, and Kiesha’s lives on the anniversary of their deaths. It’s about what we do the other 364 days of the year - the opportunities we create for trans folks like me to have resources to support our lives and our work, the ways we critique and dismantle systems of oppression and power.

It’s a commitment we must make daily – not once a year. And that’s the beauty of the Trans Day of Resilience art project – you can come back to it as often as you need to reflect, remember, and reinvigorate yourself.

Take another look at the Trans Day of Resilience art project…then make a commitment to yourself, and to our communities. What will you do to stand in solidarity with trans women and femmes of color this year?

In solidarity,

Elle Hearns, GetEQUAL and #BlackLivesMatter