Day 22 - Last Words: Blake Brockington

" ... " 

- Blake Brockington, 1996-2015

Blake Brockington was crowned homecoming king of East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, NC on February 7, 2014, after transitioning from female to male two years earlier. Rejected by his family and living in foster care, Brockington was an LGBTQ activist and participant in the Transgender Faith and Action Network.  He received national attention for his advocacy, as well as vicious online harassment. 

Brockington told the Charlotte Observer “That was single-handedly the hardest part of my trans journey. Really hateful things were said on the internet.” 

In March 2015 Brockington wrote on his Tumblr page, “I am so exhausted.” The next day he walked onto Interstate 485 and was struck by several cars. Blake Brockington's death was ruled a suicide.  His last words are unknown.

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Interviewer: What happens to people like [James] Meredith who put themselves in the front lines?

James Baldwin: Aha. You can hold yourself together during all the action, but inevitably there’s a great reaction somewhere. Some of them go to mental institutions. It’s very hard to take. I got a taste of this only once. ... I was having lunch with a friend ... and suddenly I began to shake. And I stayed at his house for two days. I was afraid to be alone. And that taught me something about how much greater the pressure must be for those kids now. The reaction has to come, it has to come.

-“Disturber of the Peace: James Baldwin,” 1969

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God of all hope,

be with those who despair

be with those who are exhausted

be with those who cannot bear another day.

God of all love,

be with the caregivers

be with those who work in the shadows

be with family and friends who worry.

God of all faith,

be with the chewed up and spit out

be with any who feel ashamed

be with those fighting hidden battles.

Be with us when we cannot be with ourselves. Be with us when the fear feels like too much to bear. Be with us when we wonder if we are truly alone. Amen.