On Monday, July 31st, I Be Black Girl, an Omaha-based reproductive justice organization, hosted a historic celebration in honor of activist, author, and musician Dominique Morgan.
Morgan is an award-winning speaker who has worked to dismantle the prison industrial complex. She is believed to be the first out transgender Black woman in the United States to receive the honor of having a street named after her. The Omaha City Council voted unanimously to honor Morgan last month.
Morgan gave a moving speech at the celebration. “There is something incredibly moving about the idea that young Black folks will walk down a street in a historically Black neighborhood named after a Black trans woman, who at the age of 12 was placed into the back of a police car for the first time on the exact street. And at 16, she found herself navigating homelessness. And by 18, incarceration.”
She went on to say that, “And now, at the age of 41, as the holder of a master’s degree from Georgetown University and one of the first Black trans women to run a multi-million dollar philanthropic fund as the Director of the Fund for Trans Generations at Borealis Philanthropy, raising over $10 million for Omaha’s economy.”
“This moment is important because it is a declaration to the world that the existence of trans people is non-negotiable. And for every queer and trans person who walks down Dominique Morgan Street, they will know that no matter where their story began, they will get to determine where their story ends.”
Celebrating the achievements of Black trans women around the world is more important than ever. With so much hate and violence directed towards this population, Dominique Morgan Street will serve as an inspiration to not only those in Omaha, but Black trans people everywhere.
Learn more about Morgan’s incredible activism at dominiquemorgan.com.