Black Disabled Men Talk Episode 4 (Relationships)

Black Disabled Men Talk Podcast

In this episode the members of Black Disabled Men Talk discuss the challenges navigating romantic relationships and sexuality as Black disabled men. If you like this episode don't forget to support our patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/blackdisabledmentalk. Thank you. Opening theme song: "Story Neva Been Told" By Keith Jones and Leroy Moore. Transcript: Black Disabled Men Talk: Relationships With: Leroy Moore (LM); Keith Jones (KJ); Lateef McLeod (LMC); LM: Okay! This is Leroy Moore on Black Disabled Men Talk. We’re back again, and this time we’re talking about relationships and being a black disabled man. We’re going to go round like we always do, introduce ourselves, then we can jump into the topic. We have like 20 minutes to do this, so let’s do it! So introductions, please, myself and my team. KJ: Hey what’s up my name is Keith Jones. I am the president and CEO of Soul Touching Experiences, an organization built on building inclusive and effective policy. Also the co-founder of Krip-Hop nation with my twin from another mother, Leroy Moore. LM: Hey! Alright this is Leroy Moore from Krip-Hop Nation, Poor Magazine, also an author, writer, activist in the Bay Area. Yeah, that’s me, I’m glad to be here. Lateef, take it away! LMC: Hello, I am Lateef McLeod and I am poet, writer and scholar. I am a PhD student in the Anthropology and Social Change department at California Institute of Integrative Studies, also the lead committee chair of the International Society of Augmented and Alternative Communication. I’m also working on a poetry book that will come out next year. Also. LM: Alright are you done Lateef? LMC: Also people should donate to our Patreon [repeats] [child in background chattering] KJ: Our Patreon page, yes! I can never say it right. It’ll be, we’ll put the link up with the link. LMC: Okay. LM: So we have the Patreon page, Black Disabled Men Talk, and we’re on acmes so thanks. So let’s get into the topic, the topic is relationships and black disabled men. It could be friends, it could be romantic relationships, but yeah we’re going to talk about that topic. So. Who wants to jump in first with that? KJ: Latif why don’t you go first man? [child chattering, noise] LMC: Well for my position I think romantic relationships for people with disabilities [chime], especially black people with disabilities, in this society is full of challenges, [loud hum in background], heartache, and disappointment. The reason I say that is because I don’t think our communities get our sexuality or our romantic wishes, and think that part of ourselves is trivial to our wellbeing. LM: Yeah I do agree with you, Lateef. Keith ado you want to go? KJ: You can go LM: For me I totally agree. I really don’t think that society sees our sexuality as black disabled men. You know, although today we had a little bit better with our work with Sins Invalid you know, and disabled activists doing the work around it. But I really think that this… can be deeply in the courts. I think it’s going to be… [10.16, inaudible] change. Change in our community about how we think about disability, especially in the black community. The black community is so far behind, you know. We talk about social justice but they’re so far behind, sexuality it just erases it, it’s like going back to the dark ages almost. Recently - not even recently, I think a year and a half now - I’ve been really pumping to be a national black disabled campaign that’s fully funded and fully supported. So we can do that education! It’s not going to come from the courts, it’s not going to come from the disabled caucus, it’s only going to come from our communities. And you know to do that we need support doing, you know funding and other pieces to it. Of course what we’re doing now with our own work - Latif with you writing, Keith Jones with policy and running for president, and mine - we are doing it in our own silos.