Three black transgender women have been murdered in Jacksonville since February 2018. But there is one transgender woman whose death no one is talking about.
Athena Cadence was a 30-year-old transgender woman and activist who had bought a plot of land in Clay County. She planned to build a home on it. She had a future ahead of her, but it was cut short in January of 2018. She was the first trans woman to die in Jacksonville.
The other three women are:
February 4: Celine Devonne Walker, 36, was found shot dead at the Extended Stay America hotel in the Southpoint area.
June 1: Antash’a English, 38, died at the hospital after being shot between two abandoned homes in the 1500 block of Ella Street early that morning.
June 24: Cathalina James, 24, was found shot dead at the Quality Inn and Suites located in the 8300 block of Dix Ellis Trail
The violence against the LGBT community, particularly black transgender woman has caused an outcry from human rights and LGBTQ+ activists. But still, no one is speaking of Athena's story. Listen to the first part here:
Destiny Johnson is a digital reporter at First Coast News who works on the crime/court beat when she can. You can follow her on twitter @hello_destiny She also does a segment called First Coast Comics Pick of the Week.