A guest post by Ashley Oolman, Minnesota’s Chief Equity Officer. Although Black History Month has ended, the Minnesota Council on Disability continues to recognize and celebrate Black History and its profound impact.
Hello to the network of Minnesota Council on Disability readers, my name is Ashley Oolman and I serve as Minnesota’s Chief Equity Officer recently appointed by Governor Walz. I am so grateful to guest contribute on MCD’s blog, introduce myself to this community, and reconnect with many of you in honor of Black History Month!
Growing up in the 90’s it wasn’t easy to find toys that represented any of my features, from my caramelly melanin to my natural curls. Most of the characters in storybooks, or lessons I was taught, didn’t reflect real life experiences I was having. As I got older, that outsider chasm only grew. It was hard to find places where learning felt natural, and was often reminded my undiagnosed learning and thinking differences were an after thought and therefore inconvenient.
People who don’t always fit, often know why. Yet to the rest of the world, differences that make a difference can go unnoticed. It is for all these reasons and so many more that I truly started to find myself when I found disability justice.
A movement started by people who identified themselves as queer, disabled, people of color, each bit of information was nourishing to a body and mind I was still learning to live in. Principles like intersectionality, leadership of those most impacted, and collective access resonated and established a social point of view that was as fierce as it was compassionate.
For me, Disability Justice started to reveal a better way of dreaming, living, and beyond. A movement built by folks so far outside the margins they made room for us all. Showing me that naming differences, and acknowledging barriers is an act of love not division.
I invite everyone this Black History Month to spend time learning something new about the disability justice movement, and how it came to be. Allow yourself to start (or continue) imagining a society where we care for each other more than we compete. Where race, disability, and core parts of identity are not erased for being inconvenient or misunderstood.
Finally I’ll pass along one of my favorite affirmations, that helps me stay grounded in the principles of disability justice and it is, “All bodies are good bodies, all minds are good minds.” Happy Black History month, especially to those who have struggled to find spaces that affirm who you are.