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NCAVP mourns the death of Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, a 27-year-old Black transgender woman, whose June 8, 2020 death was ruled a homicide, according to the Philadelphia Police, speaking to media sources. Rem’mie’s death onJune 8th was just one day before Riah Milton, another Black trans woman, was shot and killed during a robbery in Liberty Township, Ohio.
Kendall Stephens, a friend of Rem’mie’s, shares: “We’re devastated. We live with a constant fear of being assaulted and being murdered before our time. It seems to be a person of trans experience of color, that’s like a death sentence.” Kendall also shared that Rem’mie was a social butterfly who was very close to her mother, and was making plans to go back to school with dreams of being a fashion designer. Kendall shares that Rem’mie was also a dancer and artist, a vibrant person, who “ lived her truth so loud that you could hear her a mile away.”
Rem’mie’s family and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral expenses.
NCAVP stands in solidarity with Black trans women, and we know that it is always hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. We know this can be even more painful when there continues to be an unchecked epidemic of homicides of Black trans women, as police violence is escalating against Black and brown people, and our nation continues to be grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic that highlights long standing healthcare disparities for Black and brown communities. If you need support in these difficult times, you can always reach out to your local NCAVP member. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach our free bilingual national hotline at 212-714-1141 or report online for support.
NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.