05/11/2025
๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ป๐ป
22 Years Later โ ๐๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ด๐ฆ
Today, Newark Pride, Inc. pauses in solemn remembrance and unwavering love as we mark the 22nd anniversary of the death of Sakia Gunn โ a brave Black le***an teenager whose life was taken far too soon, in an act of hatred that shook our city and galvanized a movement.
On May 11, 2003, Sakia was just 15 years old when she was murdered at a Newark bus stop for daring to live authentically and proudly as a young q***r Black girl. Her light, her laughter, and her truth were stolen โ but her spirit ignited a fire in our community that has never gone out. Sakiaโs death was not in vain. It became a rallying cry for justice, for safety, for visibility, and for the dignity of Black q***r youth everywhere.
Sakiaโs memory is the foundation upon which Newark Pride was built. Her legacy lives in every march we take, every banner we raise, every young q***r life we affirm and uplift. She reminds us that Pride is not just celebration โ it is resistance. It is the demand that our lives, our identities, our futures are non-negotiable.
As we move through 2025 and prepare for this yearโs Pride theme โ โReclaiming OUR Time: Legacy of Resistanceโ โ we center Sakia in that legacy. She is the reason we reclaim. She is the reason we resist.
To Sakia Gunn: You will always be our sister, our martyr, our angel, our spark. We honor you today, and every day, by continuing the fight for a world where no child is ever punished for being who they are.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ. ๐๏ธ๐โ๐พ
โ Newark Pride, Inc.
20th Annual Newark Pride Fest
July 7-13, 2025
Sakia Gunn Day of Service
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
For more information visit www.newarkpride.org
