Tiara Richmond, also known as Keke Collier, was killed on Feb. 21, 2017, after being shot while sitting in a car with a man in Englewood. She was only 24 years old and was the second Black transgender woman killed in Chicago over six months.
Richmond grew up on the South Side of Chicago and attended Dyett High School. From 2013-2015, she studied at the BIR Training Center to be a medical assistant and she was looking for a job just before her death.
Richmond's relationship with her family is unclear; however, it seems that she had a lot of love for them. According to LaSaia Wade, CEO of Brave Space Alliance and who was in contact with them following the murder, they accepted her when she came out as trans.
She was incredibly close to her mother, Marilyn Maria Wilson, who passed away in 2015. Richmond was grief-stricken and would often turn to her social media, writing long paragraphs sharing her feelings and crying for her mother.
Richmond had also just become a new aunt to three baby nieces.
She was a popular girl, with over 1,200 Facebook friends, several of whom were active commenters on Richmond's posts. From responding to rants to hyping her up, Richmond's friends evidently loved and cared for her.
Her Facebook photos, which mainly consist of mirror selfies, are a testimony to Richmond's confidence. She was strong-willed, emotional, fun and an avid personality quiz-taker.
Richmond was also artistic, and she often posted red, glitter collages of her friends, partners and family. She would post the collages with numerous red hearts and the person's name in cursive. She used her creativity to express her love for those closest to her.
"She loved to dance all the time," Retta Collins, a decade-long friend of Richmond, told the Chicago Tribune. "She was always the life of the party. Even when we got into fights, she didn't want to fight."
Richmond's family and friends were not available to comment. This information comes from her memorial Facebook page and other articles written on her. Persons who would like to share further details of Tiara's story should contact cvillalonga.vivoni@gmail.com .
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 .