Affect 2018: Mallory Thomas
Channel: Affect
Date: 18/09/2018

Is Wakanda Accessible? And Other Questions from the Intersection of Black Womanhood and Disability.
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This year, we've seen successful films and television shows where black women were warriors, heroes, engineers, and royalty. "Representation matters" has become a common refrain on award show stages and yet, I feel left out. As an autistic and chronically ill black woman, where are the characters that look like me or experience the things I do? Is it pity, fear, ignorance, or the strong black woman trope that keeps us out of narratives? I’ll talk about how a line can be drawn from the lack of representation to the fact that our conditions aren't taken seriously and how we go without diagnosis because we don't have the "aha" moment of seeing someone like us struggle with the same things, then getting their very special episode dedicated to treatment.
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Full transcript at https://affectconf.com/talks/mallory