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Black Trans Woman Killed in December Hit-and-Run Now Identified as Za’Niyah Williams
Za’Niyah Williams was a 21-year-old Black trans woman. She was born in Pasadena, California and most recently lived in Houston, Texas.
On December 20, she was killed in a hit and run car incident in the Oak Creek Village section of Houston. Police were unable to identify her at first so she was listed as Jane Doe. On December 28, the blog TransGrio t put out a call for information that would lead to identifying her. Her mother identified her later that day as Za’Niyah Williams. TransGriot was able to update their original reporting on January 5, 2022.
She was 21 years old and her final moments left her unnamed and unacknowledged for days during the holiday season. After being hit by two different cars, one of which killed her. This is such an unbelievably sad series of events for someone so young and with so much life ahead. It is also a clear example why it is imperative that law enforcement and the media report accurately on crimes — Za’Niyah was found in women’s clothing — common sense should have the responding officials consider that her gender identity might be female. Or nonbinary. Or might need to be confirmed like her name and age. How much pain and suffering would families be saved wondering about their missing loved ones if we could just get this piece right…
