NBJC

The National Black Justice Coalition Mourns the Loss of Serenity Hollis 

CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com

Albany, GA —  The National Black Justice Coalition mourns the death of Serenity Hollis, a 24-year-old Black person from Albany, Georgia who identified as transgender. Hollis was found shot to death on West Highland Avenue on May 8th, 2021. Hollis’s mother,  Sara Osberry, mourns their sudden death and notes how special Hollis was to everyone who knew her. The police and Hollis’ family members have suggested that Hollis’ murder could be a hate crime and was not random. 

“The loss of another young person in the LGBTQ+/SGL community is extremely disheartening,” said Victoria Kirby York, Deputy Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition. “Serenity finally found the world inviting enough to show her authenticity. We stand in solidarity with the Hollis family and other loved ones who appreciated her existence. We challenge the Georgia state legislature and other elected and appointed leaders to take notice of this destructive trend of transphobia and anti-trans violence encouraged by their own rhetoric and anti-trans legislation by repealing those and creating legislation to stop such needless death.” 

Serenity Hollis is one of at least 26 transgender or nonbinary people killed this year. Hollis is the third victim to be killed in the state of Georgia in 2021. Hollis is the 15th Transgender or Nonbinary victim under the age of 30, who make up more than half of the Stolen Lives population. This is more than double the people in this age category that died in 2020. 

The Albany Police Department is currently investigating the death and asks anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 229-436-TIPS. 

Learn more about reducing gender-based violence here and here. 

To learn more about changing local laws and increasing protections for trans and non-binary community members, look here. 

The NBJC Stolen Lives list of trans and non-binary individuals lost to violence and hate can be found here.