By Zawn Villines — 2021
Ableism refers to bias, prejudice, and discrimination against people with disabilities. It hinges on the idea that people with disabilities are less valuable than nondisabled people.
Read on www.medicalnewstoday.com
CLEAR ALL
The model, artist and photographer made history when she walked the Moschino runway in her chair this season. She’s also the first creative we’re spotlighting from the BTF100, debuting today.
“If you’re trying to get home and the bus keeps passing you up because you’re in a wheelchair, you have to scream out.”
When I walk into a room, most people see me as confident and ready to take on the world. As an engineer in the aerospace industry, that’s the persona I would like them to see. But in reality, I’m most likely experiencing a serious level of anxiety stimulated by my invisible disability.
Battling stigma is nothing new in the ADHD community. In Black and other marginalized communities, it abounds—outside and, even worse, inside Black families. But reducing stigma in BIPOC communities is not all on us.
Model Jillian Mercado is using her platform to open doors for other creatives with disabilities who may otherwise get overlooked in the fashion industry.
A few months and many deaths ago, I woke up exhausted, again. Every morning, I felt like I was rebuilding myself from the ground up. Waking up was hard. Getting to my desk to write was hard. Taking care of my body was hard. Remembering the point of it all was hard.
So many of the little rituals I have each day—like my makeup or skincare routine—do help soothe and/or rejuvenate me. For me, any type of solo practiced routine is good. But I’ve learned that self-care does not, and cannot, sustain me. And I believe that this may be the case for many of you.
Who owns your identity, and how can old ways of thinking be replaced?
1
In my work with black male athletes, I have seen many struggle with socioeconomic barriers and remnants of a racist system that continues to plague many in this community.
To the list of identities Black people in America have assumed or been asked to, we can now add, thanks to this presidential election season, “Obama’s people” and “the African Americans.”