Tonight as I sat in the silence of a Quaker Meeting for Worship, we each spoke out of the silence to mention someone who we want to hold in the Light. I suddenly felt moved to tears as I realized anew that we can share concerns with each other and hold each other in the Light. This is a spiritual way of bringing comfort, support and aid to those in need.
Timothy Travis, a Quaker in Portland, OR writes about the expression as he reflects our Friend Bonnie Tinker, who last week died in an awful accident as many of us gathered for our North American annual conference. Timothy writes about the transformational nature of the Light. Light brings tenderness, growth, challenge, and change.
As we settled back into the silence in our worship service tonight I began to think of Teish Green and her family.
From the Facebook group Justice for Teish Green,
Lateisha “Teish” Green (born Moses Cannon), a 22-year old transwoman, was murdered in Syracuse, NY on Friday evening around 8:45pm, November 14, 2008. Teisha was sitting in the front seat of a car with her younger brother Mark when a man with a rifle walked up to the car and fired his weapon. The gunman was alleged to have made a number of hate remarks about Teish. Mark was wounded while Teisha was declared dead at the hospital.
FAR TOO MANY YOUNG TRANSWOMEN OF COLOR HAVE BEEN MURDERED IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, OFTEN WITH NO ARRESTS OR A LOW CONVICTION RATE. THIS INJUSTICE CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE!
It’s time for all of us to take a stand and declare young African-American LGBT peoples’ lives are NOT expendable and that violence against them will NOT be ignored or tolerated. The killing must stop. Tell your friends about this site and talk about this case with people you know.
The trial begins tomorrow Monday July 13. Please hold Teish’s family in the Light and remember all of the proceedings they will endure. Some of you may even feel led to hold Teish’s accused murderer, Dwight DeLee, also in the Light. I find that difficult to do but imagine that he needs transformation and Light in his life.
If you are a spiritual person, please join the many people supporting Teish’s family and friends in prayer remember the trans community as they are reminded afresh of Teish’s death. Friends, join me in holding this trial, and no doubt it will be a trial for Tesih loved ones, in the Light.
Peterson Toscano's A Musing 
Thinking this over, I realized that I would probably not heard about Teish through my regular media sources, as I did with Matthew Shepard – could this be because the crime against her was one “internal” to the African American community? Or because trans concerns haven’t made it successfully to the mainstream press? I know I have work to do around trans issues.
I was wrong – there’s quite a bit of national coverage going on now (per the Facebook info). The photos of the memorial/celebration are amazing.
I will hold Teish and her family, and Dwight and his family in the Light. What an honor to do so.