02/27/2026
Black History and Disability
Approximately 1 in 4 (25%) Black adults in the United States live with a disability. This community faces unique "double discrimination" at the intersection of racism and ableism, leading to significant disparities in health, wealth, and safety.
Let’s end this month celebrating their advocacy and inspiration. Let’s honor these Black Americans living with disability, the challenges they face and the achievements they have made.
Black Americans with Disabilities who are committed to reshaping the future.
Simone Biles is a 2016 Olympic gymnastics champion and the first female gymnast to win four consecutive all-around world titles since the 1970s. She has won an eye-popping 14 world championship medals.
At the age of six, Simone was diagnosed with ADHD and today serves as a powerful voice for those with both invisible and visible disabilities.
“We can push ourselves further. We always have more to give.”
– Simone Biles
Missy Elliot, Award-Winning Female Hip Hop Icon Turning Trauma to Triumph
Missy Elliott, the 51-year-old businesswoman, rapper, and Grammy Award winner, was born and raised in Virginia under challenging circumstances. Her childhood was marked by significant trauma, but by the early 1990s, she had become a Platinum-selling artist.
At the peak of her career in 2008, Elliott experienced a startling and alarming weight loss, sparking criticism from both fans and the media. She was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an incurable autoimmune disorder that causes a range of symptoms, including hair loss, tremors, muscle weakness, and bulging eyes.
Her condition hindered her from continuing to make music for years, “I couldn’t write because my nervous system was so bad – I couldn’t even use a pen,” she recounts in an interview.
Elliott had to take a step back from her career in order to focus on her recovery, which included radiation and medication. Through nutrition, exercise, and ongoing treatments, she has learned to live with and manage her disease.
In 2011, Elliott surprised fans by returning to the scene with collaborations with other artists.
“It’s funny, because for females in general – not just in music, but the corporate ladder as well – anything we do has always been harder for us. When it comes to music, the industry wants you to conform, to look like this and to sound like this, and do this or that. It makes it harder. It’s harder for us to come out and be bosses and lead the pack.”
– Missy Elliott
Clarence Page, Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalist & Disability Advocate
Clarence, who has ADHD, believes his condition has helped him become a successful journalist. He encourages those with a similar diagnosis to use their condition as a “floor for their opportunities, not a ceiling for their abilities”.
He is also a vocal advocate for people with disabilities and works to reduce the stigma surrounding ADHD. He knows that life can be challenging for children with ADHD and strives to make it easier for them to reach their full potential.
Along with 17 personalities spanning various industries and careers, Clarence was featured in the book, “Positively ADD”, saying that, ‘people expect [children with ADHD] to act and learn in a certain way, but they don’t. They have to fight to figure out who they are and what they need.”
“If we are to prevent the fabric of our society from coming apart, we must teach our children to excel not only academically, but also in their appreciation of their obligation to others.”
– Clarence Page
