Last night, Tona Brown made her debut at Carnegie Hall as the first transgender woman of color to perform in the iconic venue. Her show, titled, "From Stonewall to Carnegie Hall," sought to celebrate the progress of the LGBT movement and to thank previous and current advocates, activists, and artists who came before and enabled this momentous occasion.
Both a violinist and vocalist, Tona performed pieces by Charlies Lloyd, Leslie Adams, Edward Elgar, and several spirituals. She was joined by comedian Tammy Peay and historian Nathan James.
GLAAD would like to add our congratulations to the chorus of recognition.
Congratulations @tonacity on your #CarnegieHall debut last night. I so wish I could have been there for this historic moment. #girlslikeus
— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) June 26, 2014
Honored to witness @tonacity's talent tonight at @carnegiehall. The first #twoc to perform there! #girlslikeuspic.twitter.com/iPQpdTuEKf
— Janet Mock (@janetmock) June 26, 2014
@tonacity making her dream come true should inspire all of us #trans people to never give up on our dreams and making them a reality.
— Monica Roberts (@TransGriot) June 24, 2014
Even if you missed the recital last night, you can still help Tona by contributing to her GoFundMe campaign to diffuse expenses from the historic concert.
Congratulations, Tona!