S3, Ep. 12: Black Disabled Lives Matter

 Mandi talks about the Black Disabled Lives Matter Movement.

WARNING: There is mature content in this episode that is not suitable for children. This episode may also be triggering for people who experience(d) racism and/or discrimination

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Transcript

Mandi: Mandi Frantz here welcoming you to my podcast - Find Your Beautiful: Life Through the Eyes of a Christian Disabled Woman.  

[Upbeat Background Music]

Mandi: We celebrated love the last few weeks as we delved into Bridgerton 2 weeks ago and then chatted with my friends Matt and Nicole, the disabled couple who told all on Valentine's Day. But I would be remiss to let February pass without recognizing and honoring Black History Month. 

I'll be honest, I debated a lot about creating an episode about this. Obviously it's not because I don't think we should recognize it, but because I think honoring Black and African American people should be a normal thing and it feels off to limit it to 1 month. However, I also realize that using this specific time to draw attention to this important subject can help as there is power in numbers and algorithms.

My other reservation is that this is such a huge topic. There are so many stories of triumph and struggle throughout history and presently that I could highlight. There are so many different facets of Black History that I found it difficult to focus my research for this episode. There are so many things to say. However, I've decided that my goal has never been to lecture you, but to motivate you to dig deeper into topics and areas of life I think will enhance your human experience and that's what I'll attempt to do here. I also chose to stay in my lane as much as possible and hone in on the Black Disabled Lives Matter movement.

Finally, I do not identify as Black or African American. In fact, I have to acknowledge here that because of my married last name and my pale skin, I often benefit from White Privilege. And this is part of the reason I want to use my voice, to use this platform, to speak out against racism and to uplift the voices of those you may otherwise not hear from. I do hope that my Black listeners will chime in here because I know I remain ignorant to the full experience you have. I ask for you to share your stories as I attempt to shed a little light on this heavy subject.    

    

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Mandi: I hope that by now you've had a chance to go through a number of my episodes. In doing so, I hope you've learned that all disabilities are on a spectrum. A diagnosis is really society's way of categorizing people both for benefits and for more sinister reasons. With that, let's remember these names:

Sandra Bland, she had epilepsy and Depression. Ms. Bland was found hanged in a jail cell at only 28 years old after being arrested for an alleged lane change violation.

Eric Garner, he was only 43 years old and had asthma, diabetes, and a heart condition. He died on camera when a NYPD officer put him in an illegal chokehold while arresting him for allegedly selling cigarettes without tax stamps.

Freddie Gray died from a severe spinal injury after officers said he had a "rough ride" in the back of their vehicle.  Mr. Gray had a developmental disability as a result of lead exposure when he was a child. He was just 25 years old when he died. 

George Floyd, whose death ignited nationwide protests, had a heart condition, hypertension, and sickle cell trait.

Sadly, this is a very very short list of black Americans who died at the hands of police or in police custody. Each of them were disabled. But the Black Disabled Lives Matter movement transcends the focus of police brutality. This fight for justice and equality began long before hashtags and computers were invented. Sadly, the erasure of disability from Black history narratives is nothing new. For example, before the 2019 movie Harriet, not many people were aware that Harriet Tubman had a Traumatic Brain Injury. Throughout American history, people with disabilities were either institutionalized or criminalized. When we combine our history of ableism and racism, it becomes clearer that the black disabled community are at greater risk of severe injustice.

Yesterday I shared a post on my social media that I saw on the Community Catalyst page featuring Lois Curtis, a black American woman who was diagnosed with intellectual and mental disabilities as a child. According to online records, Ms. Clark often got into trouble as a child and was taken to jail or hospitals because the police were often called on her. This was all before she turned 11 years old. At age 11, she was sent to live at Georgia Regional Hospital, an institution for people with mental disabilities, and she remained there until she was 29 years old. Eventually, her case against Tommy Olmstead, the commissioner of the Department of Human Resources in Georgia, for the right to leave the hospital as a capable adult was a huge milestone for all disabled people. Because of her fight, and the ruling by the late Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, people with disabilities cannot be forced to live in institutions if they are capable of and desire to live in the community.  This may sound like distant history, but it was actually 1999 when this ruling was made! Lois Curtis, along many other individuals, are incredible advocates and activists for justice and equality. To leave out the fact that she is black and disabled denies parts of her very identity and hinders the progression we must make. 

While there are plenty of great people's stories I can share, I can't close this episode without drawing attention to a major problem the BLM movement must contend with. Last week, Matt touched on a powerful and tragic phenomena, the fractures within movements and groups. At the time we were talking about the clicks within the disability community and this hit home for me really hard. I remember growing up I didn't want to be associated with people who had Intellectual Disabilities. It's something that's shameful for me to admit, but I fell into the trap that society created, making me think that there was a disability hierarchy. I had the mindset that I was disabled enough with my very visible physical disability. I would be put down enough and already have to fight too hard for things I wanted in life. If I spent too much time with people with Intellectual Disabilities, I feared people would lump me in with a group they viewed as unintelligent, less than capable, and too disabled. I'm glad I grew up, not just chronologically. 

The Black Lives Matter Movement is running the risk of becoming a fractured movement as well. Too often, Black Disabled Lives are left out of the picture in this movement. For example, it is very difficult, and sometimes even dangerous, for disabled people to attend many of the movement's protests. The narrow long roads being marched on are often un-inclusive of people in wheelchairs or other mobility devices. The large packed crowds without much order can be difficult for the visually impaired and Deaf to be part of. It's amazing that on June 6th of 2020, Justine Shorter and Keri Gray, both Black disabled women, launched the Black Disabled Lives Matter efforts when they created a protest opportunity just for disabled people in D.C. However, these 2 movements will be stronger as 1 and true justice, true equality, and true inclusion will only come when everyone, across race, ability, gender, orientation, religion, and every other divisive label can join forces and view diversity as the beautiful part of the human experience that it really is!

    

[Bling]

Mandi: I know I left out so much here, so please chime in with Black role models you look up to and feel free to share your stories with me. Download the Anchor mobile app and leave me a voice message.

And while I have you, go check out my Facebook page at MandiBox Beauty. Tune into my Fireside Chats to learn about the awesome updates I've done to my website and the new platforms you can find me on.  

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on my Facebook page or directly on my website at mandiboxbeauty.com. You can also connect with me on Instagram at MandiBox Beauty. 

[Mandi voiceover to 'Compton' music]: Next week I'll have another amazing guest on the show to share about their Black and disabled experience! ‘Til next time Beauties.