The Michigan State University School of Social Work congratulates its esteemed alumna, Rachel Crandall-Crocker on being named the recipient of the MSU Alumni Office’s Alumni Service Award. This award is granted to an alumni who has demonstrated service to MSU and/or meritorious public service on a local, state, national or international level.
Crandall-Crocker is the founder of International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), a day dedicated to honoring the achievements and resilience of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people worldwide. “I wanted a day when we could celebrate the living,” she said.
Previously, the transgender community had only one dedicated day: Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), observed annually on November 20 to honor the memory of transgender people lost to anti-transgender violence. Her vision was to create a complementary day of honoring the life and advocacy of transgender persons across the globe, “where we could come together as a community all over the world and celebrate who we are,” she continued.
Rachel’s work has played a vital role in raising awareness to the lived experiences of the transgender community. This kind of transformational work does not arise without its own set of challenges, she said. “I ended up contacting Trans leaders all over the world,” she said. “At first some leaders were reluctant. But I was determined.” After some time, more people got involved and the movement started to grow. “Other organizations offered to help with outreach, and I gladly accepted their help. I know it was something I could not do completely on my own.”
Today, International Transgender Day of Visibility is recognized globally, instilling pride and honor in the transgender community. Crandall-Crocker’s inspirational, trailblazing work has led to this recognition. “This is a great honor and highlight of my career,” she said.
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