Events Calendar
|
Latest Issue
|
Membership
|
Log In Sign Up
  • Play

    Play

    • A Beginner’s Guide to Soccer
    • You Spin Me Right Round: D.C. Roller Skating 101 in 2021
    • Leading the League: The WNBA’s Natasha Cloud on Breaking Barriers + Inspiring D.C.
    • Spring Has Sprung: 10 Ways To Get Outside in the DMV
    • Play Week Combines Games + Social Impact
    • High and Go Seek Illustration
    • O Captain, My Captain: Washington Spirit’s Andi Sullivan
  • Life

    Life

    • Local Entrepreneurs Infuse CBD into Wellness
    • 19 Entrepreneurs Shaping D.C.’s Cannabis + CBD Industries
    • Upcycling in D.C.: Transforming a Culture of Consumption
    • The Green Issue: Experts + Advocates Make Case for Cannabis Legalization + Decriminalization
    • The District Derp Story
    • Grassfed Media Champions Cannabis Clients
    • Nat Geo Explorer Gabrielle Corradino on Plankton, the Anacostia + Conservation
  • Eat

    Eat

    • The State of Takeout in the District
    • A New Twist on Food Delivery: MisenBox
    • Next-Level Home Dining Experiences in D.C.
    • Foxtrot Market Is Officially Open for Business in Georgetown
    • Food Rescue + Assistance Programs Fill the Gaps in a Pandemic Food System
    • Hungry Harvest Helps to End Food Insecurity
    • Notable Summer Bar + Restaurant Reopenings to Try this Spring
  • Drink

    Drink

    • Pandemic Drinking: Derek Brown Leads the Way to Low-ABV Future
    • D.C.’s St. Vincent Wine Creates Covid-Conscious Experience
    • A New Way to Binge: Sobriety Anchors Business + Being for Gigi Arandid
    • King’s Ransom + The Handover in Alexandria Celebrate a First Year Like No Other
    • Wines of the World Are Just Around the Corner
    • Open-Air Drinking + Cocktail Delivery Changes in the DMV
    • Denizens Brewing Co.’s Emily Bruno: Brewing Change for Community + Industry
  • Culture

    Culture

    • The Artistry Behind D.C.’s Cannabis Culture
    • The Best Movies of 2021…So Far
    • The Survival of the Brutalist: D.C.’s Complicated Concrete Legacy
    • Plain Sight: A Street-Front Revolution in Radical Arts Accessibility
    • A Touch of Danger in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Romeo & Juliet”
    • Artgence + Homme: Where There’s Art, There’s a Story to Share
    • 21 D.C. Makers + Curators to Follow
  • Music

    Music

    • Emma G Talks Wammie Nominations and the D.C. Music Community
    • J’Nai Bridges: A Modern Mezzo-Soprano in a Changing Opera Landscape
    • Punk Legends The Go-Go’s Talk Four Decades of Sisterhood, Resilience + Zero Fucks Given
    • Ellen Reid “Soundwalk:” Exploring the Sonic Landscape at Wolf Trap
    • SHAED Releases First Full-Length Album in a “High Dive” of Faith
    • Obama + Springsteen Present “Renegades”
    • Christian Douglas Uses His “Inside Voice” on Pandemic-Inspired Debut Album
  • Events

    Events

    • Play Week 4.17-4.25
    • Midnight at The Never Get 4.30-6.21
    • Cannabis City Panel Presented by BĀkT DC + District Fray
    • Browse Events
    • DC Polo Society Summer Sundays 5.9
    • National Cannabis Festival’s Dazed & Amused Drive-In Party
    • Vinyl + Vinyasa 4.30
  • Log In
    Sign Up

Log In Sign Up
Photo Gallery: Girls to the Front 2023
The Sound of Women: 7 DMV Artists to Follow
Feel Like a Star: VXN Workout Takes Over the DMV
A distant view of the Washington Monument.
I Will Follow: April 2023
At Angelika: “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?”
A Family Affair: Drew and Ellie Holcomb at the Birchmere
Home » Articles » Life » A Letter to My Soul Sister

Life

Morgen Hunt and Riah Gonzales-King. Photo by Jonathan Thorpe.

A Letter to My Soul Sister

Share:

August 5, 2021 @ 10:00am | Riah Gonzales-King

Note: This article was originally posted on July 30 in Tagg Magazine. 

Morgen Hunt and Riah Gonzales-King are president and vice president of the Equality Chamber of Commerce DC Metro (ECCDC), respectively. Gonzales-King wrote the letter below to her best friend and collaborator as a nod to their enduring friendship. 

I first met Morgen Hunt on Valentine’s Day at an Equality Chamber of Commerce (ECCDC) networking event. She walked into the Beacon Hotel with platinum locks flowing down her bronze back in a gleaming teal bandage dress with rhinestone platforms and a demeanor that showed everyone she had nothing to prove, and everything to gain.

This was my first networking event of any kind and as a 21-year-old trans entrepreneur, I was so nervous. Half way through the event, Morgen took over the music and put on Mariah Carey, the woman I named myself after. We danced together on the small stage in the corner of the room. This initial interaction was the beginning of a friendship that would go on to serve as an endless personal and professional enlightenment for both of us — honing, reshaping, and elevating our understanding of our lives, our relationships, our businesses and the communities with which we identify.

Morgen and I both grew up with tremendous privileges many people don’t inherit. We were not taught to go to school, find a job and settle down. We were taught to take the path less traveled — and to do so with grit, ambition and enthusiasm. This ingrained sense of self- determination and gratitude for our lived experiences has guided our friendship since its inception.

Combining Morgen’s impenetrable confidence and my thoughtful resourcefulness, our connection has transcended our two beings. In 2021, with Morgen as the incumbent President of ECCDC, and my appointment to Vice President, we were given a unique opportunity to elevate the trans community.

We already spoke often about issues LGBTQ people face and are now in a position to take action to connect our people — the people who create themselves — with the abundance that we have been privileged enough to have.

We understand that our stories are uncommon, and we seek to create a community of ambitious LGBTQ individuals who turn their experiences into stepping stones to create equitable lives for themselves and for the next generation.

To turn sorrow into gold is a special kind of skill. It is mostly self-affirming and overlooked by those who can not directly relate, but if I’ve learned anything from our friendship, it is that the profound power of our experiences — and the understandings of ourselves and society we reach as a result — have the potential to change the world we live in, and it already is — one person, one business, and one connection at a time.

This July — Morgen’s birthday month — I celebrate her inspiring and affirming essence, I celebrate the lessons and truths I’ve been able to teach her, and I celebrate the beauty and rarity of our unique perspectives partnering together to forge a new path for our community.

Happy birthday, my dear friend!

Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content. Support local journalism and start your membership today.

Share:

Related Articles

No Articles

DISTRICT FRAY MEMBERSHIPS

District Fray members receive unlimited access to our digital content, including new articles published daily. We also have membership options available for locals interested in our print magazine, member events, or first-access tickets and giveaways.

Join Today
COMPANY
About United Fray Team Hiring: Join Our Team!
GET INVOLVED
Become A Member 2023 Media Kit 2023 Editorial Calendar Corporate Wellness Contact: Media Pitches + Advertising Inquiries
EXPLORE
Eat Drink Music Culture Life Play Events Calendar
OUR CITIES
Washington D.C. Jacksonville Phoenix
Subscribe

By clicking submit, you agree to receive emails from District Fray and accept our web terms of use and privacy and cookie policy.

© 2023 District Fray.