(CNN) – Favorite transgender activist Marsha P., a central figure in the New York City gay liberation movement. Johnson will find a memorial in his hometown, Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The county said the announcement is the first step in a community effort. During October, city and county leaders will put together events that will allow people to participate in the planning and construction of the project, the statement said.
The memorial, which honors LGBTQ + individuals and transgender women of color, is considered to be the first public memorial in the state of New Jersey, the county said.
It will be located near Elizabeth’s City Hall, the city says the area is “used to identify triblazers, pioneers and international patriots.”
A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office told CNN that the dedication was made today by Elizabeth’s native, Marsha P. Johnson is recognized across the country as a leader for the rights of transgender people.
For Johnson’s nephew, Al Michaels, the announcement comes at a time when the country is still fighting the same issues as the late activist – police brutality.
Johnson was on the front lines of the protest against the brutal policing and also played a key role in the uprising that began on June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York, after police raided a gay bar and patrons fought, sparking days. . Long protest.
“Marsha is needed now,” Michaels said. “Here we have the Black Lives Matter Movement and the Trans Lives Matter Movement. If we talk about police brutality, that’s what has happened to people today.”
“And as far as equality and justice are concerned, and Marsha was at the forefront of it all in 1969. And here it is in 2020, and we are in exactly the same position. And Marsha’s spirit has come to guide us in this fight, (as she did in Stoneville). Returned. “
Marsha P. at the site of a new monument built in Johnson’s honor. Johnson’s family lives in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
From County County Union, New Jersey
Another tribute to Johnson
The Union County Declaration is the country’s last attempt to honor Johnson.
Earlier this week, New York government Andrew Cuomo’s office announced the dedication of East River State Park in Brooklyn to Johnson, saying the state would “improve park facilities and establish public art celebrating Johnson’s life and its role in advancing LGBTQ rights.”
The governor’s office said Marsha P. Johnson State Park will be the first state park in New York to honor a LGBTQ man and a transgender woman of color.
“Marsha P. Johnson was one of the early leaders of the LGBTQ movement, and now she deserves what she deserves. Dedicating this state park to her, and establishing a public art of storytelling, will ensure her memory and fight for her cause. Equality continues. ”
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