“Jones, like Emmett Till, in 1955-a comparison I wish neither to force nor avoid-was an out of state visitor from what we still, quaintly, call the North. Had he been a “Mississippi boy,” his bones might yet be irrecoverable at the bottom of the river, or nourishing the earth of various and celebrated Mississippi plantations, to speak only of Mississippi, and say nothing of subsidies, and without insisting on the official and lethal power of the Southern states in the August and marble halls of Washington.” -The Evidence Of Things Not Seen, James Baldwin, page 40

America’s rivers have been the site of violence against black individuals since the founding of the nation. From the slave trade and the dark roots of the phrase “selling someone down the river,” to the horrific murders and lynching of black individuals like Emmett Till, rivers have served as a place of suffering and erasing of black history, culture, and people. This violence has not been left in the past as black people still face violence and and murder on the banks of American rivers.

Marsha P. Johnson, a founder of the organization S.T.A.R. House (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) and one of the faces of the Christopher Street Liberation Movement dedicated their life to the betterment of the lives of queer, specifically trans, people. In 1992, just two weeks after the thirteenth Christopher Street Day Parade, Marsha’s body was found floating in the Hudson River, and despite evidence of foul play, their death was ruled a suicide.

After their death in 1992, Marsha’s memory as a founder of the modern day LGBTQ+ Rights Movement was quickly being forgotten due to Marsha’s identity as a black person and their struggle with mental illness and addiction. In 2015, their role in the movement was whitewashed and erased by a movie meant to be about the Stonewall Riots. While the film received bad reviews and criticism for its whitewashing and hollow portrayal of the Stonewall Riots, Marsha’s role in the LGBTQ+ Liberation Movement is still challenged and erased by those who wish they, a black mentally ill trans women/drag queen with a criminal record, hadn’t been so heavily involved in an effort to “purify” the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement. In 2012, the New York Police Department reopened their case as a possible homicide after pressure from activist.

“I’m from Atlanta, I’m not from Georgia. This claim struck me as a stubborn and stunning delusion. It is as though I should claim, for example, that I’m from Harlem. I’m Not from New York. The intention, or the meaning of the claim is clear; but Harlem is not an independent entity or nation. It exists in, and is controlled by, the city and state of New York.” -James Baldwin, The Evidence of Things Not Seen, page 2-3)

Jame Baldwin, the author of book Evidence of Things Not Seen, was a lifelong activist, using his gift with the pen to shape the public's mind on the evils of racism, and this gift did not go unnoticed by leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin was originally invited to speak at the March on Washington, but was later uninvited under murky circumstances. But why was Baldwin uninvited from the March on Washington? Many scholars and historians believe, it’s because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s views on homosexuality.

Men like James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin, and Langston Hughes are often remembered for their social justice for the black community. From Rustin’s work to organize the March on Washington to Langston Hughes’ contributions to African American culture and the Greater American Culture, black queer men have been at the forefront of Civil Rights for the Black Community and LGBTQ+ Community alike. These figures asked to choose: You’re either black or you’re gay. You’re either from Atlanta or Georgia.

Earlier this year (2018), a study found that 51% of LGBTQ+ People of Color say they have experienced racism in LGBTQ+ Spaces. The lack of the ability to be seen as intersectional people, who experience racism, homophobia, and transphobia, has lead to a feel of invisibility in amongst LGBTQ+ people of color and we seen this with historical figures like James Baldwin, Byard Bustin, and Langston Hughes, as well as the movement to erase Marsha P. Johnson’s vital role in the modern day Queer Liberation Movement.

Terrance Chappell, a black gay writer from Chicago, recently wrote an article for Huffington Post where he states why he is “A black man before he is a gay man,” : “I’m much more aware of my identity as a black man than my identity as a gay man. I don’t think of them as competing identities, but in the context of perception and the world, they are binary. Even as a young boy, I remember my mom telling me, ‘Sometimes you will be treated differently, and it will not always be right.’ I didn’t exactly get it then, but as I grew older, I learned that my mom was trying to teach me about awareness.”

Violence, erasure, and silencing are not only a part of the history of America’s rivers, but part of its present as well. Especially for marginalized people of intersectional identities like James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin, and Marsha P. Johnson. But in being aware of these issues, we can work together to much sure they are not a part of the future.