October 6, 2020
Matrice Richardson
24, Malibu CA. Matrice graduated from California State Fullerton with honors and a degree in psychology & planned to attend grad school so she could work with children. She was…
September 6, 2020
Nina Pop
28, St. Louis, MO Nina was a transgender woman found stabbed to death in her apartment in Missouri in a possible hate crime. art by @jtknoxroxs These descriptions were compiled…
August 6, 2020
Darnell Wicker
57, Louisville, KY Darnell was a veteran, well known for mowing his neighbor's lawns, riding around his neighborhood on his bicycle, and was also Deaf. He was killed by police…
July 6, 2020
Tony McDade
38, Tallahassee, FL Traumatic events had left Tony psychologically scarred. He was prescribed medications and had spent time in Apalachee center's crisis stabilization unit. On May 27, 2020, after 11…
June 8, 2020
#BLM & #BDLM Protest
#BlackLivesMatter & #BlackDisabledLivesMatter Protest On June 6th, Justice Shorter and Keri Gray through the NAMD Advocates organized disabled BIPOC and our allies to participate in the #BlackLivesMatter protest in front…
May 14, 2020
Sanction our Scars
A conversation on unapologetic identity and body positivity. This presentation addresses societal expectations around body images and performance. It encourages the audience to think critically about the myths behind these…
May 1, 2020
Sanction Our Scars
Sanction our Scars A binding belief and an authoritative framework that allows us to see value MORE than we see defect. Speak up for every part of yourself, the melanin, the curves, and the scars.
April 15, 2020
Boldly
Boldly Give to the world boldly. Give to the world freely. Give to the world unashamed of who you are. What is your message? What is your art? Who are you and what do you stand for? In our youth, who we are is constantly evolving. But if we do not define ourselves then others will take that privilege. Don’t…
April 14, 2020
Multicultural Student Organizations
This presentation addresses the value of multicultural development at colleges and universities as well as examines ways to increase the sustainability of multicultural student organizations.
April 10, 2020
Decolonizing Dreams: A BIPOC Celebration of ADA30
For the longest, disabled people of color have been dominated by our connection to the medical industry and institutions. These images and stories often evoke pity, pain, and even brutality.
April 7, 2020
unlabeled
when keri was eight years old, she was diagnosed with bone cancer. and that left her with a new identity. she wants to redefine how society labels people with disabilities.…
April 1, 2020
Meet Keri Gray
Keri’s work centers on exploring the impact of race, gender, and disability as Black young professionals mature and transition into their careers. She runs presentations, workshops, and consults on long-term projects that work with young people and employers, so they are equipped to lead, to manage, to organize, and to make a positive impact in their communities while simultaneously balancing…
March 1, 2020
The Audacity of Our Advocacy
Organizing takes a radical execution of self love and love for others. If you take a close look, that mark you see on my belly is not my belly button. It's actually a scar from a feeding tube I had as a kid (due to cancer) that I often cover up. I made a lot of decisions growing up around…
February 15, 2020
The Chance to Earn My Way
One necessity in my dreams of liberation is the ability to earn respect and opportunities. My skins boils when I think of the doors slammed in our faces without the person even hearing us out. I think of my students and the stories they’ve told me about the moments they knew they wouldn’t get the job or they would not…
February 14, 2020
Disability Inclusion and Intersectionality
T his presentation is geared towards disability centered organizations that are developing or scaling initiatives with people of color. This session will address how companies can practice disability inclusion through…
December 15, 2019
Dreams Worth Acting Upon
Sometimes I find a good spot and just dream about a transformative society. I dream about office spaces filled with afros, dreadlocks, real talk, street talk, hip hop as elevator music, naturally loud voices, and aggression that’s not violent but confidence. I think of my students and their inculpable aspirations to be great. But I always remember that our hopes…
November 1, 2019
MLK Dreams
I’m constantly thinking about the dream. Dreams that are bold enough to envision our communities and businesses to be inclusive of ALL people. A dream that still calls for us to examine the content of our character and skillset rather than have preconceived notions about our melanin, curves, and crip walks. In this year, I hope we bring back the…
October 14, 2019
Student Activism
This workshop familiarizes multicultural student activists with the basic concepts of community organizing. Participants will become exposed to a range of community organizing approaches and issues taken up by social…
October 1, 2019
How much do I share? How much do I hide?
On the job, must I hide my curves and my fro and my prosthetic scars? Can I bring the melanin of my culture AND the slower limp in my walk to work? Though not discussed enough, these are questions that young professionals ask every time they have a job interview or when they move to elevate their careers. How much…
September 1, 2019
Explorations
We will encounter evidence at an early age that supports our insecurities- ie ableism at the intersections of racism & sexism. But still, I began to imagine a place and people that saw my Black disabled womanhood as magic. I began to explore the beauty of my body, my thoughts and experiences instead of hide them. Build your confidence up.…
August 15, 2019
Bravery
When organizing for concepts like freedom and inclusion your opponents will use every scare tactic possible to silence your bravery. I had to make a conscious decision that I believe in the power and beauty of Black people more than becoming submissive to the struggles.
August 14, 2019
Best Practices for Disability Inclusion
Best Practices for Disability Inclusion Today’s workforce is continuously evolving and becoming exceedingly diverse. This session will explore how people with disabilities can be incorporated in corporate/organizational D&I strategies, programs,…
August 1, 2019
What Do You Stand For?
Just a reminder to be bold and confident in everything you do. Show us who you are and what you stand for. Me personally- I stand for young professionals that hustle for better days and profitable opportunities. I stand for folks that have physical and emotional #scars all along their bodies but they’re unafraid to turn their experiences into testimonies…
July 15, 2019
Love
Nah sis. Love your body every day of the week. Love it when it's bloated. Love it when it gives you pain. Love it as grows. Love it because it is yours.
July 1, 2019
Keri’s Scars
Keri’s Scars Show this to every Black girl and woman you know. They need to see me. They need to see this level of representation so there is some example of pride. So they know our fros, our curves, and our scars all exist simultaneously. So they can made confident decision in who they are. So they can believe in…
June 15, 2019
Present
When I was first starting out as a student in college, I joined every organization that sounded even remotely interesting. I didn’t exactly know my value, but I was hungry to give and to be a part of something great. What I didn’t realize was that I was engaging in one of the first essential components of organizing, and that’s…
June 14, 2019
NextGen Outreach and Engagement
This presentation helps companies/organizations understand the unique qualities and values that young professionals contribute to the workplace. Today, an increasing number of Millennials and Generation Z are entering the workplace.…
June 1, 2019
Hard Truths
In your work, you will be expected to make tough decisions on how to proceed. You’ll be asked, what should we do next? Is this working? Who on your team is not pulling their weight? But what happens when you see your colleagues going in the wrong direction and your perspective has not been requested? In fact, you doubt they…