Media Releases

WASHINGTON--On June 24th, Avary Palmer, a Black trans man, was drugged and raped by a United States Marshall. Palmer shared his experience via Instagram. In response to the horrific incident, National Black Justice Coalition Executive Director David Johns released the following statement:
“Violence against Black people, Black trans people must come to an end. Sexual violence affects every demographic and every community; however lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people experience sexual violence at similar or higher rates than heterosexual people. We do not have an exact count of the frequency with which Black trans people have been sexually assaulted because federal statistics are limited and we know that there is significant under-reporting. We do know that these violent acts disproportionately plague Black LGBTQ/SGL people and the hate filled rhetoric attacking diversity and difference coming from the White House is multiplying prejudice. 

WASHINGTON--Today, the Supreme Court announced their ruling on the controversial citizenship question that was slated to appear on the 2020 census, blocking the question temporarily. In response, David Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition released the following statement:
“The 2020 Census is critically important to ensuring democracy in America.  Not only does a complete and accurate Census provide better data on the diversity that exists throughout the country it also enables the equitable apportionment of resources to meet critical needs.  

WASHINGTON -- Today, June 28, is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Resistance. On June 28th, 1969, as the Stonewall Inn was being raided by New York police, it is said by many that Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transgender freedom fighter threw a shot glass against a mirror which instigated moments of resistance that lasted for days, igniting the Gay Liberation Movement. This is still known as ‘the shot glass heard around the world.’

In recognition of the anniversary, David Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), released the following statement:

On Thursday, June 13, Zoe Spears (23) was killed in Fairmount Heights, Maryland, a Washington D.C. suburb. Spears is the tenth Black transgender woman murdered in 2019. She was killed just a few blocks away from where Ashanti Carmon, another Black transgender woman, was found dead in March of this year. Both Spears and Carmon were members of a tight-knit community; however, authorities deny any connection between their deaths.