5 Black Women Influencers With Disabilities To Follow
These women are using their platforms to empower women with disabilities and show that they are just like everyone else. The CDC reported that 61 million people are living with a disability and 1 in 4 are women. The National Center for Disability and Journalism also reported that over 6 million people living with a disability are Black.
While it is a large community, disabled people are still rarely represented in the public eye. But thanks to these influencers, that is all sure to change soon. From Hollywood actress Lauren “Lolo” Spencer to everyday moms like TaLisha Grzyb, women are using their social media to speak up for those who are just like them and show the world that they also matter.
TaLisha Grzyb
TaLisha Grzyb is a wife and mother of four living with muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a disease that causes muscle weakness and muscle loss, which impacts mobility. Due to her diagnosis, TaLisha is someone who uses a wheelchair. She also documents her day-to-day life through her YouTube channel Rolling Through Life with TaLisha.
TaLisha shared her experience as a mom with a disability in an interview with Yahoo! Life. “I think the biggest misconception is that we are just out here having kids and expecting other people to raise our kids or do things for us,” she said. “People feel like maybe we don't deserve to be moms. As long as you're present and you're active and you have great intent and a great heart, anyone deserves to be a parent, let alone a mother.”
“I feel like that is a part of my purpose on this earth to kind of empower people and let them know — don't let anything stop you."
Lauren “Lolo” Spencer
Lauren “Lolo” Spencer stars in HBO’s The Sex Life of College Girls and is an advocate for people with disabilities. After being diagnosed with ALS in high school, Lolo decided to pursue acting. In an exclusive interview with xoNecole, the actress shared what it’s like working with a disability.
“As a person with a disability, employment is incredibly hard to find. If I’m not mistaken, less than two percent of the job market are people on record saying that they have disabilities," she said. "I just didn’t like the feeling of someone being in control of my livelihood because I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to find another job.”
Nakia Smith
@itscharmay Its DEAF! 😤 lmaoooooooooo 😂 #fyp #tiktok #signlanguage #deafworld #foryoupage
Nakia Smith is a popular TikToker who uses her platform to teach others about BASL (Black American Sign Language). The Dallas, TX native, whose sign name is Charmay, comes from a five-generation family of deaf people and her videos show how she communicates with them.
In an interview with The New York Times, Nakia explained the difference between American Sign Language and BASL. “The difference between BASL and ASL is that BASL got seasoning,” she joked.
Keah Brown
Keah Brown was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child and she dealt with bullying from other kids. As a Black, queer woman, Keah has found herself in between two worlds and is trying her best to navigate both of them.
“In the Black community, we don't talk about disability and if we do, it’s within the realm of jokes, making light of something, or using us as punching bags on the internet," she said in an interviewTODAY. "Then you have the white disabled community who doesn't talk about queerness or race or sexuality. It is exhausting sometimes because ... It’s hard to feel like I really belong in any place.”
Haben Girma
Haben Girma is the first deafblind student to graduate from Harvard Law School. As a human rights lawyer, Haben fights for others with disabilities and she is also the author of Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. She has continued to push boundaries and most recently shared that she is learning how to surf.
“Before my surf lesson in Santa Cruz a guy called me inspiring, then came back later to apologize for 'interrupting' my weekend,” she wrote on Instagram. “Honestly, learning to surf as a Deafblind person involves a variety of challenges before I even enter the water. To the guy who 'interrupted' my weekend to express joy at seeing me at the beach, thank you! Adaptive surfing is tough and I’m grateful for all the encouragement I can get.
Featured image by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Create & Cultivate
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images