Gabrielle Union And Dwyane Wade Praised Their Daughter Zaya, And Honestly, The Speech Healed My Inner Child
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Over the weekend, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade were honored with the President's Award at the 54th NAACP Image Awards — and their speech was inspirational.
The President's Award honors people who are dedicated to acts of public service and social justice.
Together, Gabrielle and Dwyane founded the Wade Family Foundation, providing relief to marginalized communities. They also established a sustainable baby care brand for babies and children of color and co-authored the children's book Shady Baby based on their youngest daughter Kaavia.
But it's their social activism to advance racial justice and Black LGBTQ equality, specifically trans rights inspired by their eldest daughter, Zaya, that stole the spotlight when they received their award.
“I want to take this moment to publicly speak to our daughter Zaya,” Dwyane said with Gabrielle by his side. “Zaya, as your father, all I’ve wanted to do was get it right."
"I have sat back and watched how gracefully you’ve taken on the public scrutiny. And even though it’s not easy, I’ve watched you walk out of the house every morning as yourself," he continued.
The Los Angeles Superior Court recently granted 15-year-old Zaya an official name change and legal permission to change her gender marker on legal documents.
"I admire how you’ve handled the ignorance in our world...that you face every day. To say that your village is proud of you is an understatement."
"Thank you for showing me that there’s more than just one way to communicate effectively. You’ve taught me that communication with my mouth isn’t enough. I have to also communicate with my two ears and my two eyes."
“As your father, my job isn’t to create a version of myself or direct your future. My role is to be a facilitator to your wishes, your hopes, and your dreams."
"Zaya, you’ve made me a better human by simply being who you were born to be: our baby girl, Zaya Wade. Thank you for showing the world what courage looks like. I am proud that I was chosen to stand in place as your father.”
Gabrielle chimed in illustrating the harsh reality of Black trans people in America. "Let’s just name a couple of hard truths. First, the intersection of Black rights and the rights of the LGBTQIA, trans and gender non-conforming people continues to be rough — that’s a huge understatement."
"Even as we demand equality at the top of our lungs, we consistently fail to extend our advocacy to protect some of our most vulnerable among us."
"And second, Black trans people are being targeted, terrorized and hunted in this country. Every day, everywhere. And there’s rarely a whisper about it. We honestly don’t approach this work as activists or leaders as much as we do this as parents — parents who love our children and will do whatever the hell we can to keep them seen and secure and safe."
"This is a conversation worth having in ways that can actually build bridges — that don’t fan the flames of hatred or division. That don’t enable lawmakers or justice systems to look the other way when Black trans people are under attack."
And she finished strong, saying, "That don’t drive more young people to hate themselves or harm themselves. That don’t cost people their lives. So, we are humbled, and we are hopeful for the future."
"We are hopeful that we may witness a real shift in the fight for justice: the moment the movement makes room for everyone — everyone."
