A Poem I wrote long ago rings true now more than ever within the United States and perhaps this whole world in the turmoil that is waking from a nightmare. The Invisible are becoming visible, slowly but surely, but many stories are still unheard, unseen, and thus I dedicate this. To those like Matthew Rushin, like Osime Brown, and like Myself.
City streets a tepid trough, so far away from stalwart sky.
A steady beat that marches on, while not a dweller bats an eye.
The pavement cracked, a stigma’s stye in the land-locked commerce stocked desert dry, of which the seas retreat
Yet worry not repeats the lot, this is the price of “freedom”
– Governance or The Price of Freedom by Wolfheart Andrew Sanchez
The concept of Black and Indigenous People of Color’s (BIPOC) invisibility in media is something that is well known in many communities but not talked about enough in mainstream media. Many stories of systematic trauma are not covered. Our Media is, after all, a massive cog in the machine of systematic oppression.
When you’re part of a marginalized group, it’s like being invisible to the world. When police oppress the invisible, they are rarely held accountable; thus, the need to give a face and voice to the harsh reality of police prejudice against Autistic people of color is more important now than ever.
I frequently ask friends and family, who seem to be hypnotized by their television screens and glued to the news, if they have heard of Matthew Rushin. The response is often the same: “No, the name sounds familiar but doesn’t quite ring a bell.”
- Disney’s Encanto: They Don’t talk about Bruno, but We Autistics DO - February 1, 2022
- A Letter to Black and Indigenous Autistic Teens - January 4, 2022
- Autism and Going to the Doctor: How it feels from the inside - December 7, 2021
9 Responses
Thank you for this powerful article. I wish this were not the reality. I’m working to change this – and will continue the work as long as it takes.
Thank you very much for your kind words, this is quite the battle we are all in. Much love. -Wolfie.
I really feel like starting up a movement of my own. Sort of like Black Lives Matter except it is called Disabled Lives Matter. What inspired me was how infuriated I was when the Israeli police murdered an autistic Palestinian man who wasn’t even armed. Since I live in the US as an autistic daughter of two neurotypical Egyptian immigrants, it will be hard to get the message to Israel partially because of where I live and my ancestral origin as a Muslim Egyptian and to make things harder I’m only 15. Perhaps I should network with other disabled people to get things going.
Can’t start a fire without a spark.
This is such a powerful article. This line especially resonated: “Oppression just changes its form to fit the shape of its container.” So very true.
Thank you very much
Wow ! Great poem, thank you so much for honing in on this and letting others know