A second day visiting @Square for their #Neurodiversity Spotlight month. Today, it was as a guest of my friend @YourKinfolkz. She spoke about her work on creating space for marginalized LGBT+ people of color, her childhood, her life as a queer woman & an #ActuallyAutistic parent.
Actually, that was just a 10th of what she shared about her work & life experience. It’s hard to encapsulate it all in a tweet. My favorite part is when she welcomed her daughter Imani up front to talk about life as a #neurotypical child of an autistic parent.
📷: @CosmicKarmic
“It was that type of energy provided my mother which allowed me to see myself as necessary,” - @YourKinfolkz speaking on how her mother grounded herself in confidence and self-worth, dubbing herself “Queen Bee” over two decades ago.
“When I finally did speak, they couldn’t shut me up,” - @YourKinfolkz discussing how she memorized books and records of phonics and reading lessons while still non-verbal. And speak up she did...
.@YourKinfolkz discussed how she came into the name ‘Kin Folkz’ in school when she called out a teacher for a homophobic remark. “We’re all kin,” she said. The teacher responded “You talk too much,” and sent her to the principal. While there, she heard noises in the hall...
The hall was filled with students who had followed her. When staff asked them to give their names, they responded with “We’re kinfolks.”
Threaded throughout her talk (and work) is this beautiful mosaic of intersectional justice. Her events for queer people utilize communications badges in ways many autistic events do. Her learning of black empowerment informs her empowerment as a disabled person.
Over the past year, I’ve come to know and love @YourKinfolkz as a friend. The world should know her as well. Her work creating and holding space for marginalized groups serves as a template for autistic queer community.
Check it out: spectrumqueermedia.com
Video Description: A video of Kinfolkz and Imani talking about Imani being the child of an autistic parent.
I’ve rewatched this five times ready.
Video Description: A video of Imani, a young woman, asking her mother Kinfolkz about her experience as an autistic parent.
It’s hard for me to put words to this feeling, but as an autistic person it feels urgent to provide space (and step back) for other autistic voices, particularly black autistic voices. The work of @YourKinfolkz shows that. It’s not just ethical. It’s crucial to our movement.
I have the benefit of having Kinfolkz as a friend locally (along with @erostribe). Other black autistic voices I follow include @lilririah, @rianphin, @autisticpastor, @Mis_TAught, @timgordonjr, @BeingKaylaSmith, @phineasfrogg. There’s lots more.
The work I see Kinfolkz do with #SpectrumQueerMedia provides such a template of building autistic space. It also makes me proud that it is an autistic woman creating this space for marginalized groups, knitting together community, and running an organization empowering others.
I could go on and on, so I’ll try and stop.
In short: Thank you @Square (and @CosmicKarmic and @cjereneta) for hosting @YourKinfolkz for your #Neurodiversity Spotlight Month. Thank you for allowing me to come as a guest.
More of the world needs to see the work of Kinfolkz.
❤️
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