Race and Disability

These posts highlight the intersections of race and disability identity through authentic narratives and reporting.

A photo of a young Black child sitting at a desk using a laptop.

My Educational Experiences with Attention Deficit Disorder and Why Accommodations are So Crucial

The following post is part of our series on perspectives from disabled and chronically ill people regarding COVID-19. The global pandemic has affected each of us in ways no one could have imagined. It has exposed the structural failures of…

A photo of a black person with their eyes closed fades into a photo of clouds in the sky.

The Conversations That Black Communities Need to Be Having About Suicide

This post discusses suicide. If you or someone you know are in need of support, please reach out for support. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 En Español: 1-888-628-9454 For people who are deaf/hard-of-hearing: 1-800-799-4889 Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to…

Why and How You Should Honor Disabled People of Color Day

Makahla By the age of 23, I had grown accustomed to the smell of antibacterial soap, waiting rooms over capacity, and physicians in every specialty. I’d mastered the art of being a professional patient. I slowly built a resistance to…

Hands holding gears connected together. They are in the shadow of the sun against a blue sky.

Disability Justice Must Include All Marginalized Identities

When Rooted in Rights first accepted me for their inaugural Rooted in Writing Fellowship program last year, my reaction was one of pure disbelief. For all that I have struggled in my post-grad life to make writing a full-time career, …

Laura Kiesel sits in her power chair and speaks into a microphone, next to another speaker on a stage in front of an audience.

The Disability Intersectionality Summit: A Gathering for Justice

On a damp and chilly Saturday in mid-October, I rolled out of bed several hours earlier than I usually would have in order to attend the biannual Disability Intersectionality Summit in nearby Cambridge, Mass on the MIT campus. Groggy but …

A photo of a group of people at a march holding up a trans pride flag.

4 Activists Who Make Me Proud to be Disabled and Transgender

As a disabled, transgender person, I don’t have a lot of role models. To understand what it means resist ableism and transphobia at the same time, I started researching the history of our community. Here are four disabled, transgender people…

Three partially formed circle made up of an aerial view of people. In one circle, people are dressed in red, in another, they're dressed in blue, and in the third, green. Where the circle intersect, the clothing is multicolored.

It’s Time to Stop Ignoring the Intersections of Marginalized Identities

Intersectionality, according Kimberlé Crenshaw who coined the term, “is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects.” It has also been defined as “a framework designed to explore …

A deep blue background with text that reads "Rooted in Rights." Two spotlights in the top left and right corners of the image shine across the image, highlighting the words "Activist Spotlight.

Activist Spotlight: Denarii Grace – Singer-Songwriter, Poet, Aspiring Screenwriter

Denarii Grace believes that an artist should reflect the times, and that’s what she does as a blues singer-songwriter, poet, aspiring screenwriter, and freelance writer. “We have a responsibility to be truth tellers, speak to our people(s), and create visions…

Activist Spotlight: Cyree Jarelle Johnson – Writer, Speaker, Artist

When I first asked Cyree Jarelle Johnson what their activism is focused on, they said, “I don’t know what it means to be an activist. I’m a writer and a speaker. I think of myself as an artist.” Then they …