Story Behind The Story

The dedication of The Day Tajon Got Shot reads, “This book is for all those who are going through loss and pain, who have protested, and who are sick and tired of what’s going on.” In the book, authors Jeanet, Jonae, J’Yona, Makiya, Najae, Reiyana, Rose, Serenity, T’Asia, and Temil write a brave and necessary collaborative story about the police shooting of an unarmed Black boy named Tajon. This story about prejudice, race, violence, and community was deeply urgent and relevant when the project began in March 2015 -- and remains so today. 

Ten young Black girls from Beacon House’s after-school program began writing this story during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and were inspired by Trayvon Martin, who had been shot three years before. These authors, like Black youth around the country, imagined a kid just like them -- wearing a hoodie, drinking sweet tea, holding a bag of Skittles -- suddenly dead just because someone assumed he was up to no good. 

The authors were young — in middle school — when national attention began focusing on ongoing police violence. In the summer of 2014, Eric Garner was choked to death by police in Staten Island, New York. A few weeks later in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown was shot and killed. More massive protests broke out -- in Ferguson and then in solidarity across the country. The National Guard was deployed. There were tanks in the streets. 

The conflict continued. 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed while holding a toy gun on a Cleveland playground. Then it was announced that there would be no indictment in the murder of Michael Brown. Or in the murder of Eric Garner. The hashtag #ICantBreathe went viral and #BlackLivesMatter was the rallying cry. Protesters blocked traffic, shut down bridges, staged die-ins, walked out. 

These were the headlines leading up to the start of workshops for The Day Tajon Got Shot. The writers asked themselves, “What can we write about that’s powerful, important, and engages with the real issues that young people are facing today?” The idea for a novel about a 16-year-old Black boy who is shot by a police officer -- as well as all the people who had to bear the repercussions of that act -- was born. 

Since The Day Tajon Got Shot was published, educators, politicians, readers, booksellers, and leaders across the country have recognized and honored this powerful book. Authors have spoken in classrooms, at bookstores, on panels at national conferences, and more, across the Greater Washington region sharing their story. Tajon won the grand prize for both the INDIES Awards and the ‘In The Margins’ Book Awards. The book has been included on many “Best of” lists, including recommended reading lists by School Library Journal, Feminist Books for Kids, and The Children’s Book Review. The D.C. City Council passed a Ceremonial Resolution recognizing the 10 Beacon House authors in 2019. 

We couldn’t be prouder of the courageous young people who wrote this story. We hope their work and voices will continue to be heard as part of essential conversations about how we can all be better to one another and seek empathy, understanding, and justice in the face of tragedy.