DALLAS — In May of 2020 we handed over our platform to Black voices in our North Texas community through a series called “While I Have Your Attention.”
Those courageous souls spoke out against racial bias, race based violence, and systemic racism.
Now, as we mark another Pride Month that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, we are, once again, turning our platform over to our family, friends, and neighbors to amplify even more voices in the struggle for equality in America.
Here is the story of Ahmad Goree:
Statistics show that trans women – primarily African American trans women – are more likely to experience assaults. They’re more likely to experience discrimination. And they’re more likely to be murdered.
We had to do something about that -- not just here in Dallas, but across the state and the country. Now that I have your attention, my charge and my challenge is to make sure that you’re involved. Make sure that you’re spreading the word that individuals deserve the right to be equal.
My name is Ahmad Goree. I represent several organizations. Dallas Southern Pride, the Muhlaysia Booker Foundation, and Abounding Prosperity. And I identify as he/him.
I grew up in Pleasant Grove, and community has always been a part of something that I cherish. People who have experienced issues or adversities always came to me asking for help our how should they handle situations or who they should talk to.
I felt like it was a calling for me to enhance that skill on a higher level and be this voice for the community as a whole.
The Muhlaysia Booker Foundation is a foundation that was started after a trans woman was murdered in Dallas by the name of Muhlaysia Booker. From there, her mother, Stephanie Houston, along with several others including myself, helped start the Muhlaysia Booker Foundation to provide this community with the services to help them prosper and not have to go through the various disparities they face by being who they are. The community really came together as a result of this unfortunate tragedy.
My personal experience wasn’t really like what many people would think. My family has always been supportive of who I am and what my endeavors are. That’s powerful. To be able to share that message.
They could realize that they could still live with who they are whether they are supported or not. They could still be who they really want to be. My whole story of coming out and dealing with those adversities, being African American, you know… the South is the Bible Belt, and that is something that is not taken very easily in the African American community. Working with some of the organizations that I work with, [I've seen] individuals have committed suicide because of the difficulty of being accepted by society, of being accepted by their family members or the difficulty of just being who they are.
Definitely find a way to be involved. You don’t have to be a member of this community. You could be an ally. Encourage your friends to be involved. Encourage your family members to be involved.
Everybody deserves to be treated fairly and equally, and that’s what it all boils down to.
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