Jaliyah Armstrong can still remember how brightly T.T. Saffore smiled.
"Silly T.T.," Armstrong called her.
Saffore's "magic"that jokester smilewould bring Armstrong solace regardless of what was going on around them. Saffore's loud, sweet, echoing laugh had the same effect.
"No matter what she was going through, she had always been a person that smiled," Armstrong said. "She'd be going through hell, but she still had a smile."
In 2016, Armstrong stood with 30 other West Garfield Park community members looking at the glowing candles on the asphalt arranged to spell out, "R.I.P. T.T."
Saffore, 28, was killed on Sept. 11, 2016. Her body was found along railroad tracks, with her throat cut. She was one of two Black trans women murdered in Chicago within six months and the 20th known transgender person to be murdered in the country that year.
Saffore grew up in West Garfield Park with her siblings and father. Her older brother, Jermaine, told Windy City Times in 2016 that Saffore was the "baby of the family." Their father passed away sometime before the murder. The family was not available to comment for this story.
Armstrong described Saffore as so "full of life" and a "beautiful person." She was always complimenting people and was ready to help anyone.
Saffore was known for her sharp wit; it wasn't uncommon to hear people laughing in her presence. She would crack jokes with everyone even if the situation she was in was terrifying. Armstrong recalled how Saffore's smile and laughter helped her through their time incarcerated together. Somehow, Saffore made things feel easier.
"I was crying, didn't know what to do. Thought it was the end of the world," Armstrong said in an interview with WBEZ Chicago in 2016. "She was there to just keep me going through my days with jokes. Even though she didn't have much, she gave. She sent me snacks, little cookies and cakes. It's just the small things that count. She had a heart."
Saffore loved "girly things," Armstrong added. Namely, she loved to change up her hairstyle, often dyeing her hair different colors. She could also never leave home with her shimmery, glitter lip gloss.
"I will always remember her as a happy person," Armstrong told Windy City Times in 2016. "I will always remember her smile."
People who would like to share their stories about Dejanay can contact cvillalonga.vivoni@gmail.com . WBEZ's report is at https://bit.ly/3I72NBA.
See the Trans Omnibus Project introduction page for links to other stories in this series:
www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Remembering-Chicagoans-lost-to-anti-trans-violence/71904.html .