As a thank-you for everyone who tuned in to our miniseries, we are sharing Professor Kim Pearson's reading of her poem "A Libation for Sakia."

Some 20 years after the murder of Sakia Gunn, another anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime killing makes national headlines. As yet another grieving community fights to raise awareness for social justice, we ask: What do we as a nation owe to Sakia Gunn, O'Shae Sibley, and the scores of Black queer youth for whom personal safety is a matter of daily concern? 

Sakia Gunn's death was a queer rallying cry across New Jersey. But over time, much of the initial political support seemed to evaporate. This episode looks at efforts to legislate, regulate, and mandate education in Newark and beyond as a result of this tragedy.

Though they came from different worlds, the lives of Sakia Gunn and of lead reporter Jenna Flanagan intersected in meaningful ways.  By exploring the history of Newark and contextualizing her own Blackness, Jenna gains a deeper understanding of who Sakia was 20 years ago.

How did street harassment lead to New Jersey’s first prosecuted hate crime homicide? We find out if Sakia's queer identity put her at risk.

At a bus stop in downtown Newark in 2003, a queer teenager’s life was lost in a homicide that should have rocked the nation. Why did that not happen?

In 2003, WNET journalist Jenna Flanagan reported on the murder of 15-year-old Newark native Sakia Gunn. Now, 20 years on, Flanagan revisits the story to examine what progress might have been made in protecting Newark’s queer youth — and how exactly justice was served.