intersectionality

person with a child on his shoulders looking at a protest

Clarification Statement About #BoycottHUBlackAutism 2022

ableism, activism, African American, allies, autism, autistic, black, disability discrimination, intersectionality, Just Being Me...Who Needs 'Normalcy" Anyway? (my blog) / By

They say that if something happens frequently enough, perhaps instead of looking around for the source of the problem, you should consider looking inward. Maybe I’m just really obtuse…because in all honesty, the idea that I am truly the problem in some the majority of situations just doesn’t make sense to me. I’m being 100% …

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Flowers on grave. Source unknown.

RIP: Many Black & Brown autistic people who have died in recent years from murder, drowning, accidents, or other non-natural causes

African American, autism, intersectionality, Just Being Me...Who Needs 'Normalcy" Anyway? (my blog), just me, Morénike / By

Jacob David Jaycee Eubanks Isiah Desmond Kirk Mercedes Losoya Deonn Carter  Jzya Thompson RonNiveya O’neal  Stavian Driver Marcus McGhee Aaron Carter Gavin Douyon  Nicole Amari Hall Elijah McCain  Stephon Wotts  Melissa Stoddard  Kendrick Lee  Izzy Techenor Kyrin Carter  Kobe Heisler Avonte Oquendo  Reece Watts  Jeremiah Degrate Rios Omarion Humphrey  Maleah Davis  Keydall Jones  Rashaad Germany …

RIP: Many Black & Brown autistic people who have died in recent years from murder, drowning, accidents, or other non-natural causes Read More »

Royalty-free image is an analog clock with the phrase “Time for Accountability,” on it instead of numbers to designate the time of day.

Accountability, bridge-building, & seeking a “middle” path

1 Comment / activism, advocacy, balance, civil rights, community, demonstrative faith, diversity, ethics, faith, inclusion, integrity, intersectionality, Just Being Me...Who Needs 'Normalcy" Anyway? (my blog), just me, justice, life, Morénike, open letter, respect, self-awareness, social justice, survival, tolerance, writing / By

It’s been a long day and my spoons are nearly depleted, but I want to write this, even if I do a poor job of conveying my intended message due to fatigue, because I fear if I postpone it there’s a possibility that I might not get back to it. So I’m asking for your …

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Image contains white text with black borders stating "Black Autistic Lives Matter" in all caps on a white background. Photo credit: Jen White Johnson

When It Comes To Autism, Black Lives Matter

#actuallyautistic, #autismawareness, autism, autistic, intersectionality, Just Being Me...Who Needs 'Normalcy" Anyway? (my blog), Morénike, neurodiversity, parenting while black, race, representation, stigma, tokenism, writing / By

A group of renowned advocates and Black and/or PoC led autism organizations have united to express disappointment about a Today Parents article entitled Why there’s a war between parents of children with autism and autistic adults which was initially published (on August 13, 2021) with no identifiable people of color featured or quoted.  Though several …

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Two blue text bubbles; the one on the right states, "Public Comment."

Let’s hope they don’t kick me off: these IACC public comments though…

#actuallyautistic, #autismacceptance, #autismawareness, AAC, ableism, acceptance, advocacy, anti-stigma, autism, autism acceptance, autism awareness, autism parent, autistic, balance, civil rights, communication, community, disability, disability rights, diversity, ethics, families, functioning labels, IDD, inclusion, intellectual disability, intersectionality, Just Being Me...Who Needs 'Normalcy" Anyway? (my blog), Morénike, neurodiversity, open letter, POC, presume competence, representation, respectful parenting, self-advocacy, solidarity, stigma, tolerance, writing / By

So…I was recently appointed to the IACC, which is the federal advisory board that handles important autism-related matters at the national level. There were ~40-ish? people appointed in total, including 23 public members…and a full EIGHT of us public members are autistic! I am beyond grateful to have an opportunity to serve my community in …

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Matrix corridor scene (three figures standing at the end of a long hallway; everything in sight is black with green binary code like the "view" of a computer)

Leaving the Matrix

#actuallyautistic, autistic, burnout, defeat, discrimination, ethics, hurt, hypocrisy, integrity, intersectionality, Just Being Me...Who Needs 'Normalcy" Anyway? (my blog), Morénike, open letter, owning your mistakes, pain, POC, race, representation, scars from the past, scars from the present, survival, tokenism, toxic relationships, White Fragility, White Privilege, White Tears, writing / By

I was recently part of a coalition that issued an Open Letter (penned by Cal Montgomery and I) and a follow up Memo (which had several co-authors, including many who opted to remain anonymous). The purpose of the Open Letter and the Memo was to make positive changes within the autistic community (and in this …

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Until we are all free, we are none of us free.

Hear Our Cry: Call for Solidarity with Autistic BIPoC and Autistic People with Intellectual Disabilities: Demands presented to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) for their June 20th Board Meeting

1 Comment / #actuallyautistic, #autismacceptance, #autismawareness, advocacy, allies, anti-racism, anti-stigma, autism, autism acceptance, autistic, balance, cultural sensitivity, diversity, human rights, IDD, intellectual disability, intersectionality, neurodiversity, open letter, POC, race, solidarity / By

To: Meg Evans, Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) Board of Trustees Secretary   Cc:  Current ASAN Board of Trustees; Julia Bascom, ASAN Executive Director  From: A collective of former ASAN Board and staff, which includes: Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, former ASAN Board of Trustees Vice Chair Cal Montgomery, former ASAN Board of Trustees Chair  Oswin Latimer, former …

Hear Our Cry: Call for Solidarity with Autistic BIPoC and Autistic People with Intellectual Disabilities: Demands presented to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) for their June 20th Board Meeting Read More »

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." -MLK

The “silence of our ‘friends’” hurts my ears

#BlackLivesMatter, African American, allies, anti-racism, bias, bigotry, black, Black Lives Matter, death, discrimination, hate crime, hurt, hypocrisy, injustice, intersectionality, Just Being Me...Who Needs 'Normalcy" Anyway? (my blog), law enforcement, Morénike, murder, parenting while black, POC, police, police brutality, police violence, racial profiling, racism, scars from the past, scars from the present, trauma, violence, White Privilege, writing / By

What did MLK say exactly? Something like, “…in the end, what hurts the most is not the harmful words spoken by our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” I’m sure I completely botched the quote and truthfully right now Idgaf; this isn’t speech and rhetoric class. This is “real” “life” in 2020 America for …

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#SorryNotSorry: You Can Keep Your Nonpology

accommodation, activism, advocacy, allies, apology, civil rights, community, ethics, intersectionality, solidarity / By

I script a lot, mostly in my head. It calms me. And it helps me process. It seems that there has always been a phrase, a quote, a song lyric that helps to capture what’s on my mind. People often fail me, but words seldom do. This one is easy. Comes from middle school lit …

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Disability Justice is Social Justice; Lean In

ableism, acceptance, activism, advocacy, allies, civil rights, disability, disability rights, human rights, inclusion, intersectionality, presume competence, representation, social justice, solidarity / By

Cue the lights, cue the music. The video starts. A young lady with Down Syndrome stands on a grassy football field, her eyes glistening with tears that threaten to roll down her carefully made-up face as she is crowned Homecoming Queen to a chorus of thunderous applause. The next few minutes of the video are …

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