In a poignant ceremony on Saturday, residents of Newark, New Jersey, gathered to commemorate the renaming of a street that was once known as Academy Street but will now forever be recognized as Sakia Gunn Way. This renaming serves as a solemn tribute to Sakia Gunn, a Black lesbian, who tragically lost her life in a hate crime 20 years ago at the tender age of 15.
Sakia Gunn’s story remains a painful reminder of the prejudice and violence that the LGBTQ+ community has faced. In May 2003, while waiting for a bus with friends, she and her companions were subjected to unwanted advances by two men, Richard McCullough and Allen Pierce. When the young girls firmly rejected their propositions, disclosing their sexual orientation as lesbians, the situation escalated. McCullough and Pierce physically attacked them, and tragically, Gunn was fatally stabbed in the chest during the altercation.
Gunn’s cousin, Valencia Bailey, who was present at the renaming ceremony, expressed the significance of the event, stating, “It’s an acknowledgment. It’s showing that my cousin’s legacy will never die; it’ll forever be here. Everyone will know who she is.” Both Gunn and Bailey had come out as lesbians at the age of 12, and they were among the few openly LGBTQ+ individuals in their community.
Reginald Bledsoe, the director of the Essex County Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, described Sakia Gunn as “the martyr that started the modern LGBTQ+ movement here in Newark.” He also highlighted the significant progress made in Newark’s LGBTQ+ acceptance over the past two decades.
Valencia Bailey, who played a pivotal role in making the street renaming a reality, emphasized that the cause was not just about her but about preserving her cousin’s memory and preventing future incidents like Sakia Gunn’s. She stated, “We’ve been here; we’re always going to be here. There’s always going to be a new generation of the LGBTQ+ community.”
The renaming of Sakia Gunn Way stands as a poignant symbol of Newark’s commitment to acknowledging its LGBTQ+ history, honoring the memory of a young victim, and working toward a more inclusive future.