Al Nagy

Gwen Araujo Memorial – Oct. 4, 2003

• Good Evening.  On behalf of Mayor Smith and the entire Newark City Council, I want to thank you for your invitation to take part in this memorial tribute to Gwen Araujo. 

• It is my privilege to represent my colleagues on the Newark City Council who are tonight participating in a fund-raising event for Washington Hospital.

• Gwen’s death one year ago brought our community together in an uncommon bond:

• Together we grieved publicly for the loss of one of our children.  The loss of a family member is always difficult; the loss of a child to a violent death at the hands of another seems an unimaginable burden. 

• The loss of a member of our community family is a tragic circumstance that brings us together, but it also is an opportunity to acknowledge the precious life of one of our citizens and to continue the open dialogue that we began shortly after Gwen’s murder.

• Gwen’s loss has prompted us to look inward and to open our eyes, our minds and our hearts. 

• Her death has provided a framework for broadening the perspective of our community, to look beyond the immediate surroundings of our individual lives, and to place ourselves in our neighbor’s situation.

• As a first step, we met here at a community forum last December to begin a dialogue to better appreciate the thoughts and hopes of the many groups that make up our community. 

• We know that we will become a stronger, more spirited community as a result of our efforts to reach out and understand each other.

• Newark is a diverse community and we are enriched by the complex tapestry that makes up our City.

• We often say that we are proud to be a great City in which to live, work, shop, and play.  We are all those things, and more.

• I know that I speak for the City Council when I say that it is extremely important to us as a City that all our citizens enjoy a full and rewarding quality of life. 

• In order to do so, all our residents, including our sexual and gender minority youths and adults, must enjoy a safe, welcoming, nurturing environment, one in which they can live their lives without fear of reprisal.

• It is our mission as a City to foster such an environment.

• Discrimination, harassment, and reprisal faced by our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex loved ones are real.  These types of behavior must be stopped!

• The task before the Newark community is to make everyone aware of the destruction that results from hatred and the unwillingness to be accepting of our differences. 

• Tonight as we pay tribute to Gwen, it is important for each of us to make a personal commitment to accept each other’s differences, to build a greater understanding and appreciation for the diversity within our City.

• Awareness of the destruction brought about by hatred and a strong personal commitment of acceptance will form a foundation for changing attitudes toward each other.

• From that foundation, we must each take our own path toward building bridges with our neighbors – bridges built upon acceptance, tolerance, understanding and inclusion.

• At Gwen’s funeral one year ago, 17 butterflies were released, each one representing one year of her life. 

• Butterflies are not only a beautiful symbol of Gwen’s life, but the caterpillar’s metamorphosis into the beautiful butterfly is a metaphor for our evolving appreciation of each other.

• Thank you for including us in this tribute to Gwen.