When I was growing up, I did not see much Black disabled representation, especially while learning Black History. I believed that disabled people could not contribute to society because, in my history classes growing up, there was rarely any information about disabled people being known for their work that helped create the world we live in today. I assumed that being disabled and being a leader could not coexist. I would often feel this would be true for Black History because we weren’t taught about any Black disabled people's contribution to social justice movements or any important events throughout history.
Being Black already comes with its unique challenges as we are often faced with discrimination. Adding disability will likely bring even more challenges because ableism has come into play. I know identifying as disabled for Black people can be difficult because we do not want to have any additional problems that we already have from racism. Therefore, it’s important to highlight Black leaders' disabilities to show the power between disability and strength.
I want to highlight a few important Black history makers who were and are disabled that made a difference in this world.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist and activist. Born into slavery, she later escaped and became a conductor of the Underground Railroad, where she helped lead enslaved people to freedom. It has been hidden in history that Tubman had epilepsy. When she was a teenager, she suffered a severe brain injury caused by a slave owner who struck her in the head. Tubman would have painful headaches, seizures, and spells of unconsciousness. It was through courage, strength, and determination that Tubman was able to free many enslaved people, including her family. Even with her disability.